Other potential changes to civil partnership and the public sector equality duty 2.34 The consultation document also invited views on other potential changes to civil partnership and on the public sector equality duty, which requires consideration of how people who share the characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010 might be affected. 2.35 The first category of potential changes the consultation document asked about was to the process of forming a civil partnership and the language used to describe it. Some 1,196 respondents commented on this question; however, the majority of these comments were out of scope. 2.36 Of those that were in scope, the view expressed most frequently was agreement that civil partnerships and marriages should have distinct processes. 2.37 The consultation also asked if there were other options for changes to civil partnership that were within the scope of the review and consistent with its principles. Almost none of the comments some 988 respondents made here answered the question posed in the consultation. 2.38 Although some respondents called for or suggested changes to civil partnership, these were generally of the sort that were outside the scope of the review. Other respondents thought that there were no other options for change within the review’s scope. Some directly expressed support for keeping civil partnership in its current form or cautioned against changes. The call for the relationship to avoid the concept of gender was repeated in responding to this question. 2.39 Examples of changes raised that are outside the scope of the review included many that were raised in the passage of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 and indeed during the passage of the CPA. 2.40 The consultation asked whether people who shared a protected characteristic other than sexual orientation, gender reassignment and religion or belief would be particularly affected by any of the potential changes to civil partnership described in the document. 2.41 In commenting here, very few of the 1,254 respondents who did so directly addressed the consultation question. Instead respondents took the opportunity to set out their views and concerns about marriage for same sex couples or to call for civil partnership to be made available to siblings, close friends or dependents, both of which are outside the scope of the review or to comment on issues raised elsewhere in the consultation.
Other potential changes to civil partnership and the public sector equality duty 2.34 The consultation document also invited views on other potential changes to civil partnership and on the public sector equality duty, which requires consideration of how people who share the characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010 might be affected. 2.35 The first category of potential changes the consultation document asked about was to the process of forming a civil partnership and the language used to describe it. Some 1,196 respondents commented on this question; however, the majority of these comments were out of scope. 2.36 Of those that were in scope, the view expressed most frequently was agreement that civil partnerships and marriages should have distinct processes. 2.37 The consultation also asked if there were other options for changes to civil partnership that were within the scope of the review and consistent with its principles. Almost none of the comments some 988 respondents made here answered the question posed in the consultation. 2.38 Although some respondents called for or suggested changes to civil partnership, these were generally of the sort that were outside the scope of the review. Other respondents thought that there were no other options for change within the review’s scope. Some directly expressed support for keeping civil partnership in its current form or cautioned against changes. The call for the relationship to avoid the concept of gender was repeated in responding to this question. 2.39 Examples of changes raised that are outside the scope of the review included many that were raised in the passage of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 and indeed during the passage of the CPA. 2.40 The consultation asked whether people who shared a protected characteristic other than sexual orientation, gender reassignment and religion or belief would be particularly affected by any of the potential changes to civil partnership described in the document. 2.41 In commenting here, very few of the 1,254 respondents who did so directly addressed the consultation question. Instead respondents took the opportunity to set out their views and concerns about marriage for same sex couples or to call for civil partnership to be made available to siblings, close friends or dependents, both of which are outside the scope of the review or to comment on issues raised elsewhere in the consultation.
Civil_Partnership_Review_Report.docx