Introduction

The intention behind the Act is that civil partnerships should be long-term stable relationships. Hence the fact that the creation of the partnership has to be attended by formalities which underscore the commitment involved and the fact that the partnership confers a wide range of rights and responsibilities not only between the state and the couple, but also between the partners and third parties. Consistent with this notion is the belief, embodied in the legislation, that an appropriate degree of formality should be required to bring a registered partnership to an end.

This chapter deals with what is likely to be the most frequently used order the court can make to bring a civil partnership to an end. The orders that the court can make are very similar to those made by the court on the breakdown of a marriage, and divorce practitioners will readily recognise the language and concepts discussed below.

Essentially, there are four different orders that can be made by the court on the breakdown of a civil partnership. In this chapter we concentrate on the order called a dissolution order which (when made final) will bring a civil partnership to an end. It is the one most likely to be deployed after the breakdown of the civil partnership. It is very similar in concept to divorce.