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117.Paragraph 2 amends the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 to provide that forced marriage proceedings are family proceedings, and therefore cannot be the subject of an enforceable conditional fee agreement.

118.Paragraph 3 amends the FLA so that non-molestation and occupation orders may be made in proceedings for a forced marriage protection order. Amendments also ensure an affirmative parliamentary procedure for an order made under the new section 63N.

Part 2 – Northern Ireland

119.This Part contains consequential amendments to Northern Ireland legislation necessary for the implementation of the Act.

120.Paragraph 4 amends the Family Homes and Domestic Violence (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 to designate that proceedings under Schedule 1 to the Act are family proceedings.

121.Paragraph 5 amends the Access to Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 to provide that proceedings under Schedule 1 to the Act are family proceedings and therefore cannot be the subject of an enforceable conditional fee agreement.

Commencement

122.Section 4 provides for commencement and provides that the main provisions of the Act are to come into force by commencement orders. These orders will be made by the Lord Chancellor in relation to those provisions which apply to England and Wales; and by the Department of Finance and Personnel for those provisions which apply to Northern Ireland. The other provisions come into force on Royal Assent.

Hansard References

123.The following table sets out the dates and Hansard references for each stage of this Act’s passage through Parliament.

Royal Assent – 26 July 2007 House of Lords Vol 694 Col 968

House of Commons Vol 463 Col 1068