Member

Our Amendment 53 seeks to address what we believe to be an oversight in Clause 30, which makes provision that a direct deduction order be revoked in the event that the liable person has died. In this event, the order is revoked but there is no requirement that the liable person’s surviving family or the executor of their estate be informed of this fact. As I am sure noble Lords will be aware from their personal experience, the death of a family member is not only an incredibly upsetting experience but an administratively stressful one. Family members can suddenly have mountains of paperwork to deal with, accounts to sort and close, and bills to cancel. Unless family members are particularly learned in counterfraud legislation, they will be unaware that their family member will no longer be subject to a direct deduction order. Naturally, these family members will be worried about doing the right thing, and it would be a disaster to inadvertently defraud the state by following inaccurate or false advice. Having confirmation of this fact in writing from the Cabinet Office would be a much-needed reassurance and would provide clarity and certainty to people during a particularly stressful and emotionally turbulent time.