Member

I turn to Amendment 65 from the noble Baroness, Lady Neate, and thank her for raising this very important matter, and thank the noble Baronesses, Lady May, Lady Lister and Lady Warwick, for reminding us of the dreadful impact of financial abuse and coercive control. I have a great deal of sympathy with the intent behind this amendment and take this opportunity to praise the work of Katherine Brickell and Mel Nowicki, which first brought this issue to our attention. I dealt with an example myself where the abuser had forged a signature on a second mortgage of over £80,000. When the relationship broke down, that debt, in effect, rendered the victim bankrupt and her and her four children homeless. It was a really shocking case, so I understand, in a very front-line way, the importance of this amendment.