CIVIL PARTNERSHIP ACT 2004

(Redirected from Civil Partnerships Act 2004)

:''See Civil partnerships in the United Kingdom for a detailed discussion of the Act and its implementation''.
The 'Civil Partnership Act 2004' is a United Kingdom Act of Parliament enacted in 2004. Its provisions grants same-sex couples rights and responsibilities identical to civil marriage. Civil Partners are entitled to "a range of property rights, the same exemption as married couples on inheritance tax, social security and pension benefits, and also the ability to get parental responsibility for a partner's children ^[1] as well as responsibility for reasonable maintenance of one's partner and their children, tenancy rights, full life insurance recognition, next-of-kin rights in hospitals, and others. There is a formal process for dissolving partnerships akin to divorce.

Contents

Schedule 20

Legislative passage

External links

Drafts of the Act

Schedule 20

Schedule 20 recognises certain overseas unions as equivalent to civil partnerships under the laws of the United Kingdom. Same-sex couples who have entered into those unions are automatically recognised in the United Kingdom as civil partners.
Schedule 20 is subject to adjustment and additional overseas relationships may be added as more jurisdictions across the world bring in civil partnership or same-sex marriage legislation. On December 5, 2005, the original schedule of the 2004 act was amended to include several other countries and states. [1]
As of July 2007 [2], the list of specified relationships contains:

★ Andorra: ''unio estable de parella'' (stable union of pairs)

★ Australia provides Domestic partnership in New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory, South Australia, Queensland and Western Australia; or registered partnership in Council areas of Sydney and Melbourne; in Victoria (from 1 December, 2007) and significant relationships are provided in Tasmania since 2004. (the Commonwealth of Australia provides nothing).

★ Belgium: marriage and ''cohabitation légale, wettelijke samenwoning, gesetzliches zusammenwohnen'' (statutory cohabitation)

★ Canada: marriage, as well as Nova Scotia domestic partnership and Quebec ''union civile'' (civil union)

★ Denmark: ''registreret partnerskab'' (registered partnership)

★ Finland: ''rekisteröity parisuhde registrerad partnerskap'' (registered partnership)

★ France: ''Pacte civil de solidarité'' (civil solidarity pact)

★ Germany: ''Lebenspartnerschaft'' (life partnership)

★ Iceland: ''staðfesta samvist'' (confirmed cohabitation)

★ Luxembourg: ''partenariat enregistré, eingetragene partnerschaft'' (registered partnership)

★ Netherlands: marriage and ''geregistreerde partnerschap'' (registered partnership)

★ New Zealand: civil union

★ Norway: ''registrert partnerskap'' (registered partnership)

★ Spain: marriage

★ Sweden: ''registrerat partnerskap'' (registered partnership)

★ United States:

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★ California - domestic partnership

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★ Connecticut - civil union

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★ Maine - domestic partnership

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★ Massachusetts - marriage

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★ New Jersey – domestic partnership (sic; New Jersey enacted a civil unions law in 2007 to replace domestic partnership for same-sex couples)

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★ Vermont - civil union

Legislative passage

The Act was announced in the Queen's Speech at the start of the 2003/2004 legislative session, and its full text was revealed on March 31, 2004. It received Royal Assent on November 18, 2004, and came into force on 5 December 2005, allowing the first couples to form civil partnerships 15 days later. Confusion regarding the interpretation of the Act led to registrations being accepted from December 19 in Northern Ireland, December 20 in Scotland and December 21 in England and Wales. Scotland's Parliament voted in favour of a Legislative Consent Motion allowing Westminster to legislate for Scotland in this Act.
As a Bill, it met with broad support from all of the UK's major political parties. However, it also faced criticism on several fronts—from people worried that marriage would be diluted by extending the rights of it to others, from people who feel the government should simply extend marriage itself, and from opposite-sex couples who wished themselves to have the right to enter into a non-marriage civil partnership.
In the debate on the Bill in the House of Lords on June 24, 2004, an amendment to extend eligibility for civil partnership to blood relatives who had lived together for a minimum period of time, such as children caring for elderly parents, was moved by Conservative peer Baroness O'Cathain and approved. The House of Commons later removed this amendment and sent the revised Bill back to the Lords for reconsideration. The Lords decided to accept the Commons version on November 17, and the Bill received Royal Assent the next day.

External links

★ Civil Partnership Act 2004 official text published 25 November 2004

★ Explanatory Notes to Civil Partnership Act 2004

★ The Civil Partnership Act 2004 (Overseas Relationships) Order 2005, SI 2005/3135

★ Find Out More about Civil Partnership

★ Open Directory Project - Civil Partnership Act 2004 directory category

Drafts of the Act

★ Civil Partnership Bill official text from 26 October 2004

★ Civil Partnership Bill official text from 5 July 2004

★ Civil Partnership Bill official text from 30 March 2004