HC Deb 23 February 1972 vol 831 c317W
57. Mr. Meacher

asked the Attorney-General if he will introduce legislation to prevent women, with children, whose marriages have broken up having to leave the matrimonial home because they cannot raise the necessary capital to purchase their husband's half of the property or cannot maintain the mortgage payments.

The Attorney-General

The provisions of the Matrimonial Homes Act, 1967, go some way towards preventing this kind of hardship if they are invoked while the marriage is still subsisting and the Matrimonial Proceedings and Property Act, 1970, gives the courts extensive powers on or after granting a decree of divorce, nullity or judicial separation to alter property rights as between the spouses. The Law Commission is at present engaged on a study of the whole field of family property law and will be presenting its report to my noble and learned Friend in due course.