"Byzantine" laws in England and Wales determining the affairs of those who go missing are
so bewildering that they should be replaced with a simplified presumption of
death act”- A Report by MPs.
In Britain, the families of those who have had a family member disappear, have to fight their way through a series of unrelated requirements set out by police, lawyers, and banks before they can move on from their lost one(s). A new legislation could establish a process by which relatives and partners are granted a certificate of presumed death, resolving all the affairs of a missing person. The Association of British
Insurers fears that the change might lead to increased theft through ‘simulated’
disappearances. While Joe Apps, of the UK Missing Persons Bureau, said: "There are very few cases like John Stonehouse or Lord Lucan, for example, where do people just seem to disappear and are never seen again. We are all just so well connected". Scotland has
already introduced a similar act in 1977, resulting in about four to five cases
a year; only one person subjected to a presumption of death order has since
reappeared. Another reason to introduce this act would have to do with the individual's
financial affairs; properties could be lost through unpaid mortgages and their bank accounts can drained by years of direct debts and insurance payments that do not benefit missing people. A
Presumed Dead act wouldn’t cost Britain very much since “less than 1% of the
200,000 people a year reported missing have not been found within 12 months”-The UK Missing Person Bureau.
Interesting. I didn't know it could be so complicated.
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