(1)An action for the dissolution of a civil partnership may be brought in the Court of Session or in the sheriff court.
(2)In such an action the court may grant decree, if, but only if, it is established that—
(a)the civil partnership has broken down irretrievably, or
(b)an interim gender recognition certificate under the Gender Recognition Act 2004 (c. 7) has, after the date of registration of the civil partnership, been issued to either of the civil partners.
(3)The irretrievable breakdown of a civil partnership is taken to be established if—
(a)since the date of registration of the civil partnership the defender has at any time behaved (whether or not as a result of mental abnormality and whether such behaviour has been active or passive) in such a way that the pursuer cannot reasonably be expected to cohabit with the defender,
(b)the defender has wilfully and without reasonable cause deserted the pursuer and during a continuous period of two years immediately succeeding the defender’s desertion—
(i)there has been no cohabitation between the parties, and
(ii)the pursuer has not refused a genuine and reasonable offer by the defender to adhere,
(c)there has been no cohabitation between the civil partners at any time during a continuous period of two years after the date of registration of the civil partnership and immediately preceding the bringing of the action and the defender consents to the granting of decree of dissolution of the civil partnership, or
(d)there has been no cohabitation between the civil partners at any time during a continuous period of 5 years after that date and immediately preceding the bringing of the action.
(4)Provision is to be made by act of sederunt—
(a)for the purpose of ensuring that, in an action to which paragraph (c) of subsection (3) relates, the defender has been given such information as enables that civil partner to understand—
(i)the consequences of consenting to the granting of decree, and
(ii)the steps which must be taken to indicate such consent, and
(b)as to the manner in which the defender in such an action is to indicate such consent, and any withdrawal of such consent,
and where the defender has indicated (and not withdrawn) such consent in the prescribed manner, that indication is sufficient evidence of such consent.
(5)Provision is to be made by act of sederunt for the purpose of ensuring that, where in an action for the dissolution of a civil partnership the defender is suffering from mental illness, the court appoints a curator ad litem to the defender.
(6)In an action to which paragraph (d) of subsection (3) relates, even though irretrievable breakdown of the civil partnership is established the court is not bound to grant decree if in its opinion to do so would result in grave financial hardship to the defender.
(7)For the purposes of subsection (6), hardship includes the loss of the chance of acquiring any benefit.
(8)In an action for dissolution of a civil partnership the standard of proof required to establish the ground of action is on balance of probability.
(1)At any time before granting decree in an action by virtue of paragraph (a) of section 117(2) for dissolution of a civil partnership, if it appears to the court that there is a reasonable prospect of a reconciliation between the civil partners it must continue, or further continue, the action for such period as it thinks proper to enable attempts to be made to effect such a reconciliation.
(2)If during any such continuation the civil partners cohabit with one another, no account is to be taken of such cohabitation for the purposes of that action.
(1)In an action to which paragraph (b) of section 117(3) relates, the irretrievable breakdown of a civil partnership is not to be taken to be established if, after the expiry of the period mentioned in that paragraph—
(a)the pursuer resumes cohabitation with the defender, and
(b)cohabits with the defender at any time after the end of a period of 3 months commencing with the date of such resumption.
(2)Subsection (1) is subject to section 118(2).
(3)In considering whether any period mentioned in paragraph (b), (c) or (d) of section 117(3) has been continuous, no account is to be taken of any period or periods not exceeding 6 months in all during which the civil partners cohabited with one another; but no such period or periods during which the civil partners cohabited with one another is to count as part of the period of non-cohabitation required by any of those paragraphs.
(1)An action for the separation of the civil partners in a civil partnership may be brought in the Court of Session or in the sheriff court.
(2)In such an action the court may grant decree if satisfied that the circumstances set out in any of paragraphs (a) to (d) of section 117(3) are established.
(1)The court may grant decree in an action for the dissolution of a civil partnership even though decree of separation has previously been granted to the pursuer on the same, or substantially the same, facts as those averred in support of that action; and in any such action the court may treat an extract decree of separation lodged in process as sufficient proof of the facts under which that decree was granted.
(2)Nothing in this section entitles a court to grant decree of dissolution of a civil partnership without receiving evidence from the pursuer.
(1)The Registrar General is to maintain at the General Register Office a register of decrees of dissolution of civil partnership (a register which shall be known as the “Register of Dissolutions of Civil Partnership”).
(2)The Registrar General is to cause to be made and kept at the General Register Office an alphabetical index of the entries in that register.
(3)The register is to be in such form as may be prescribed.
(4)On payment to him of such fee or fees as may be prescribed, the Registrar General must, at any time when the General Register Office is open for that purpose—
(a)cause a search of the index to be made on behalf of any person or permit any person to search the index himself,
(b)issue to any person an extract of any entry in the register which that person may require.
(5)An extract of any entry in the register is to be sufficient evidence of the decree of dissolution to which it relates.
(6)The Registrar General may—
(a)delete,
(b)amend, or
(c)substitute another entry for,
any entry in the register.
Commencement Information
I1S. 122 wholly in force at 5.12.2005; s. 122 not in force at Royal Assent see s. 263; s. 122(3) in force at 14.9.2005 by S.S.I. 2005/428, art. 2, Sch.; s. 122(4) in force at 14.9.2005 for certain purposes by S.S.I. 2005/428, art. 2, Sch. and otherwise 5.12.2005 insofar as not already in force by S.S.I. 2005/604, art. 2(b); s. 122(1)(2)(5)(6) in force at 5.12.2005 insofar as not already in force by S.S.I. 2005/604, art. 2(b)