Amendments to the Fatal Accidents Act 1976

2.—(1) Section 1A of the Fatal Accidents Act 1976 is amended as follows.

(2) After subsection (2)(a) (and before the “and”) insert—

“(aa) of the cohabiting partner of the deceased;”.

(3) After subsection (2) insert—

“(2A) In subsection (2) “cohabiting partner” means any person who—

(a) was living with the deceased in the same household immediately before the date of the death; and

(b) had been living with the deceased in the same household for at least two years before that date; and

(c) was living during the whole of that period as the wife or husband or civil partner of the deceased.”.

(4) In subsection (4)—

(a) for “this section” substitute “subsection (2)(a) and (aa), or under subsection (2)(b),”; and

(b) for “both the parents of the deceased” substitute “more than one person”.