Rights and responsibilities

Civil partners

  • Civil partners are to be treated in the same way as spouses in respect of workplace benefits, all tax purposes and benefiting from a partner’s pension;
  • Automatically, civil partners become next-of-kin – allowing legal registration of a partner’s death and a right to organise the funeral;
  • The ability to apply for compensation for fatal accidents of partners;
  • Rights under tenancy agreements;
  • Civil partners will be exempt from testifying against each other in court.

Children

  • To provide reasonable maintenance for your civil partner and any children of the family;
  • Be classed as a step parent;
  • The ability to apply for parental responsibilities for civil partner’s children;
  • The ability to adopt children jointly, or partner’s children;
  • Civil partners will have the same rights to paternity leave, adoption leave, statutory paternity pay and statutory adoption pay to spouses.

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