§ 87. Mr. A. J. Irvineasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will take action to reduce the difficulties, arising partly from the definition of Maintenance Order in Section 10 of the Maintenance Orders, Facilities for Enforcement Act, 1920, in the way of enforcing affiliation orders where the father has gone overseas.
§ Major Lloyd-GeorgeI am considering the possibility of including substantive affiliation orders in the scheme for the reciprocal enforcement of maintenance orders between Commonwealth countries. It would be necessary to consult other Commonwealth Governments on any such proposal and I cannot say when it would be possible to introduce amending legislation.
§ 91. Mr. Kirkasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many men are at present under court order to maintain their wives; and what percentage of them known to his Department have defaulted on such payments in the years 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, and 1954.
§ Major Lloyd-GeorgeI regret that statistics showing the number of wife maintenance orders in force and the number of men who have failed to pay under such orders are not available. About 14,000 orders under the Summary Jurisdiction (Separation and Maintenance) Acts, 1895 to 1949, are made by magistrates' courts in England and Wales each year, and about 3,400 men are received into prison in England and Wales each year, having been committed for nonpayment of wife maintenance.