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Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill

The hon. Gentleman is right. In the case of asbestosis, it has always been a problem to establish which of various employers is responsible; hence, perhaps, part 4 of the Bill, and a compensation scheme which I think every Member supports. As I have said, this is a matter of justice. People have been exposed to asbestos, either through their work or because they were married to someone who worked in a shipyard or lived in an area where asbestos was used. If the hon. Member for Barnsley, West and Penistone presses the new clause to a vote we will certainly support him. The Scottish Parliament is taking action. If the new clause is passed, people will have a way of obtaining compensation quickly. As the hon. Gentleman said, it will be recoverable in the event of a subsequent action. But I suspect that the real answer is for the Government to change the law in England and Wales, just as the SNP Government intend to do in Scotland, and that is a matter that the hon. Gentleman may wish to pursue with the Minister.