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Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill

That is an important point, and I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for raising it. I think that information might currently be held on that but in a non-systematic way—and I think that that is the issue. That is partly why there is the degree of debate that there is within the medical profession and elsewhere as to whether or not pleural plaques do inevitably lead to worse diseases—or, indeed, whether pleural plaques are entirely and uniquely caused by exposure to asbestos, as there is even some argument about that within the medical science community. Information is crucial, and whereas at present it is not systematically gathered there might be a case for its being so. I will say more about that in a moment. As has become evident as the debate on these measures has progressed, the Scottish Executive have indicated their intention to overturn the House of Lords judgment via legislation, so that people who have been diagnosed with pleural plaques will be able to raise and pursue actions for damages in Scotland. Of course, the civil legal systems in Scotland and in England and Wales are completely separate, and the question of whether to legislate in Scotland is a matter for the Scottish Parliament. I know that the Government's decision not to intervene in the way sought by my hon. Friend the Member for Barnsley, West and Penistone is disappointing for some hon. Members who feel, as they have said, that pleural plaques should be compensatable. I reassure them that the Government are fully committed to supporting sufferers of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.