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Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill

Does the Minister feel that rather than start structuring a register from the beginning, it would be worth communicating with some of the members of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers, who already have registers? For example, Thompsons solicitors keep a register of people with pleural plaques who have contacted them so a database may exist that the Minister could bring together. Linking that to the point made by my hon. Friend the Member for East Lothian (Ann Moffat) abut the insurance companies, does the Minister feel that discussions should be opened up with them—after all, they are the polluter? We are talking about pleural plaques that have been caused because asbestos has invaded people's bodies, so according to the ““polluter pays”” principle, the insurance company should put the money forward for any scheme related to a register. I use the term ““scheme related to a register”” because, as the Minister will know, people who suffer from pleural plaques come forward for their X-rays because this is linked to common-law damages, but as the common-law damages issue has been removed, there is a need for another incentive. To incentivise people to come forward to put their names on the register, there needs to be a scheme—if that is at all possible—and that should be provided by the insurance companies. Does the Minister feel that they can be encouraged to come on board?