§ Mr. John Ellisasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he will publish his proposal for a draft order amending the law on divorce in Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. DunnA proposal for a draft order under Paragraph 1 of Schedule 1 to the Northern Ireland Act 1974, entitled The Draft Matrimonial Causes (Northern Ireland) Order 1978, has been published today. The proposed order would make the irretrievable breakdown of marriage the sole ground for divorce and empower the court to make better financial provision following divorce. Copies of the proposal and of an accompanying explanatory document, which explains the effect of the proposed legislation in more detail, are being made available to the House, to all the political parties in Northern Ireland and to all other organisations and persons known to have an interest in the subject. Additional copies of both documents will also be available from Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
The object of publishing the draft order as a proposal is to provide a basis for further discussion and comment following the earlier public debate on the report of the Standing Advisory Commission on Human Rights. I recognise that this is an area of social law about which people hold strong views and I am anxious to take full account of any representations or comments which may be made to me. For this reason, the normal consultation period for a proposal for a draft Order in Council is being extended in this case from one month to three months.