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Families of missing people need 'presumed dead' certificates, say MPs

“The evidence we have heard from families faced with the problems of resolving these affairs is overwhelming. The law needs to be changed.

“The Government owes it to these families to look at this issue again very carefully before it responds to our report.”

The recommendations in the study, published on Wednesday, have been backed by the father of Claudia Lawrence, the chef who went missing from her home in York almost three years ago.

Peter Lawrence said he has had to battle with her bank, mortgage provider and insurance company in order to keep her financial affairs in order.

Speaking just days before his daughter’s 38th birthday, Mr Lawrence said: “After around three weeks of Claudia's disappearance we realised that we had an enormous amount of her personal business that needed to be dealt with.

“We needed to move her money from one bank account to another and speak to her mortgage providers but we were always met with the same response – you're not our customer.

“Even cancelling direct debits was very difficult as the money continued to leave her account.

“It has taken a great deal of cost and effort in the most difficult time of my family's life to do this and this new legislation, if implemented, would make it far easier for families to get the affairs of a missing person in order.

“I have been promised by the Ministry of Justice that the recommendations in this report will be looked at before the end of this parliamentary term.”

The committee insisted that primary legislation is needed, alongside new guidance for families and institutions.

It acknowledged the concerns of the insurance industry that “more people may be tempted to stage a disappearance” in order to commit fraud and claim on their life insurance policies.

But the MPs pointed out that in the 34 years since Scotland had introduced presumed death certificates, only one missing person had reappeared after being made subject to such an order.

Families of missing people need 'presumed dead' certificates, say ...

“The evidence we have heard from families faced with the problems of resolving these affairs is overwhelming. The law needs to be changed.

“The Government owes it to these families to look at this issue again very carefully before it responds to our report.”

The recommendations in the study, published on Wednesday, have been backed by the father of Claudia Lawrence, the chef who went missing from her home in York almost three years ago.

Peter Lawrence said he has had to battle with her bank, mortgage provider and insurance company in order to keep her financial affairs in order.

Speaking just days before his daughter’s 38th birthday, Mr Lawrence said: “After around three weeks of Claudia’s disappearance we realised that we had an enormous amount of her personal business that needed to be dealt with.

“We needed to move her money from one bank account to another and speak to her mortgage providers but we were always met with the same response – you’re not our customer.

“Even cancelling direct debits was very difficult as the money continued to leave her account.

“It has taken a great deal of cost and effort in the most difficult time of my family’s life to do this and this new legislation, if implemented, would make it far easier for families to get the affairs of a missing person in order.

“I have been promised by the Ministry of Justice that the recommendations in this report will be looked at before the end of this parliamentary term.”

The committee insisted that primary legislation is needed, alongside new guidance for families and institutions.

It acknowledged the concerns of the insurance industry that “more people may be tempted to stage a disappearance” in order to commit fraud and claim on their life insurance policies.

But the MPs pointed out that in the 34 years since Scotland had introduced presumed death certificates, only one missing person had reappeared after being made subject to such an order.

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