The Secretary of State for International Development (Penny Mordaunt)
This Government are committed to fairness and equal treatment in all areas of life. Families, in all their forms, are a fundamental element of society, and we want to ensure that they are as secure and stable as possible, in order for people to flourish.
Civil partnerships were originally created to enable same-sex couples to formalise their relationships at a time when marriage was not available to them. Since then, we are pleased to have introduced marriage for same-sex couples through the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act 2013. However, this created a situation whereby same-sex couples have the option either to marry or form a civil partnership, but opposite-sex couples have only the option to marry.
The Government have been considering how to equalise access to civil partnerships between same-sex and opposite-sex couples and on 2 October, the Prime Minister announced that the Government will extend civil partnerships to opposite-sex couples.
There are around 3.3million cohabiting couples in the UK, almost half of them with children, and all of them without the protections and security that a formalised relationship can bring. The announcement ensures that, in future, opposite-sex couples will be able to benefit from the protections and security that a civil partnership provides.
I would like to pay tribute to those who have campaigned for this change over a number of years, including my hon. Friend for East Worthing and Shoreham, whose commitment to this cause has laid the foundation for the Government to take forward this important change through his support for the cause of equal civil partnerships, and his Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration Etc.) Bill, currently before the House.
The changes needed to effect the greater equality we wish to see are not all straightforward and there are a number of questions that arise specifically about opening civil partnerships to opposite-sex couples for the first time, on which we will need to consult. For example, whether couples can choose to convert their civil partnership into a marriage (or vice-versa) and what should be the grounds for dissolution of an opposite-sex civil partnership.
We are clear that Government legislation is essential to ensure that these and other consequentials of opposite-sex civil partnerships are properly legislated for and adequately debated by this House and in the other place. This would not be possible through my hon. Friend’s Bill as currently amended.
We intend to consult to enable us to introduce legislation in the next parliamentary Session to bring about the necessary changes.
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