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Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill

My hon. Friend raises an important point that serves to underline the complexity of this issue. I hope that he will understand why we are trying to proceed cautiously. We want to consider the ruling of the court and we need to see what happens as the issue is debated in the Scottish Parliament. I do not wish to presume the outcome of that debate. I hope that he and my hon. Friend the Member for Barnsley, West and Penistone will accept that our commitment to look seriously into the option for a register is a step forward along the lines they advocate. The new clause relates to payments under the new mesothelioma scheme. The payments that we are making under the new scheme are for people who have developed mesothelioma as a result of exposure to asbestos, who often have a short life expectancy, and who experience complex, debilitating symptoms, as my hon. Friend mentioned. Mesothelioma can, therefore, be distinguished from the other conditions that we have been discussing. The cost of the changes that we are bringing in will be met by the introduction of a compensation recovery process, so that all 1979 Act and new mesothelioma scheme payments will be recovered if a civil compensation claim is subsequently successful. Moneys recovered will then be recycled into the new mesothelioma scheme to make future payments. In that respect, the scheme is self-funding.