Unmarried couples
Wednesday, 31 May 2006 10:03
Unmarried couples should be given greater rights, according to the Law Commission, which will publish a consultation document on the issue today.
The commission, due to make final recommendations in 2007, is expected to propose that heterosexual and homosexual cohabiting couples be given similar rights to those in marriages, including a share of a partner’s inheritance at the event of their death.
It will make provisions for splits, recommending that property be divided, although less generously than in a divorce. At present, children of separated unmarried couples have rights to maintenance, but ex-partners have none.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics show 1.56 million couples were cohabiting in 1996, a figure expected to almost double to 3.8 million by 2031.
Some will welcome the consultation as redressing current bias against unmarried couples, however others will warn it gives people further incentives not to commit to marriage.
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