Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Bill [HL]

I should like to make a few general comments. First, I was in the Chamber when the noble Lord, Lord Lester, presented his Bill and I congratulate him on his presentation of it. I have looked through the amendments and I think that they are excellent. To that end, I commend the Minister, her advisers and her civil servants who prepared them. We must recognise that the problem of forced marriages does not restrict itself to people from the sub-continent; it is one that affects many different communities. I have heard it talked about in relation to Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and so on. It must be appreciated that it applies to all the communities. Therefore, I welcome the fact that the amendments extend the Family Law Act rather than the provisions standing alone. I congratulate the Minister and her advisers, and I thank the noble Lord, Lord Lester, for his participation in making this a power under family law. There are issues concerning domestic violence, which may be the result of forced marriages. The amendments are quite comprehensive. They refer to protection orders, undertakings and power of arrest under warrants. I agree with the interpretation and I notice that marriages are covered whether or not they are legally binding, because some of them are not. I am a Muslim whose marriage is not recognised by law unless we have a civil ceremony. I spoke to the Minister earlier about problems occurring overseas. I am pleased about the Forced Marriage Unit’s involvement, because I have heard one or two horror stories from overseas. The unit does an excellent job overseas and there must guidance as well as legislation. We need to look into those issues. Certainly, the amendments have my support. I will do all that I can to make sure that the legislation is not only enacted but also that its principles are put into practice.