FORCED MARRIAGES OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Early day motion 1568, tabled 14 May 2008 by Annette Brooke (Liberal Democrat). Signed by 82 members.

That this House notes that the majority of cases of forced marriage reported in the United Kingdom involve South Asian families; further notes that the Department of Health's report Learning Disabilities and Ethnicity found that learning disabilities are up to three times higher in South Asian communities than in other communities; further notes that the Director of UK Visas has stated that of the 250 `reluctant sponsors' for visas dealt with by the consul in Pakistan in 2007, 86 involved adults with severe disabilities; expresses concern that limited information on forced marriages of people with disabilities may hinder effective responses to this problem; and asks the Government to commission research into the prevalence and causes of forced marriages of people with disabilities.

Signatures by party: Labour 38, Liberal Democrat 28, Conservative 8, Social Democratic and Labour Party 3, DUP 2, Independent 1, Plaid Cymru 1, UKIP 1.