§ 36. Sir J. Langford-Holtasked the Attorney-General if he is aware that solicitors requiring appointments with the Divorce Registry, Somerset House, to get orders for permanent maintenance have to wait three weeks for replies to their applications for appointments, that those replies fix a day for hearing three weeks ahead and that this delay often obliges poor applicants to apply for supplementary pension; and what action he will take to eliminate such delay.
§ The Attorney-GeneralAn order for permanent maintenance cannot take effect until the decree is made absolute which is normally three months after decree nisi. There should therefore be no difficulty in making an application in sufficient time for the order to come into force at the earliest possible moment. If a wife is in need of immediate financial support, she can apply for alimony pending suit. This can be done at any time after the petition is filed, and her application will be heard with very little delay.