HC Deb 06 March 1947 vol 434 cc109-10W
127. Mr. W. Wells

asked the Attorney-General whether the Government accept the recommendations contained in the second interim and final Reports of the Denning Committee for procedural reforms in matrimonial causes.

The Attorney-General

Save that it is proposed to retain the necessity for an affidavit in support of a petition—but with a modified procedure designed to save time and expense—the procedural recommendations made in Part II of the Second interim Report of the Denning Committee are accepted in principle. But in the course of preparing the detailed Rules it has been found necessary to make a number of modifications or variations of the actual proposals made by the Committee, and I do not suggest that the Rules when made will represent exactly what was proposed in every single instance. With very few exceptions, however, the substance of these valuable recommendations will be incorporated in the new code, or be given effect to by administrative action. The new Rules which will shortly be issued will incorporate a number of the procedural reforms recommended in the Final Report of the Denning Committee. Others are still under consideration, and I cannot make any definite statement about them today.