LONDON, February 21  –  Christmas might be a long way off, but the Government is giving a Christmas present to same-sex couples, it was announced this morning.

The landmark Civil Partnership Act will be brought into force on 5 December this year. Any couple wishing to form a civil partnership will be able to give notice of their intention to register at a Register Office from that date.

This will allow the first civil partnerships to be formed in time for Christmas on 21 December, after the 15 day waiting period has passed. Some Register Offices in areas such as Brighton, Newcastle, Liverpool, Birmingham and the London Borough of Camden have already started to take expressions of interest from couples interested in forming a civil partnership after the Act comes into force.

“I know how much this legislation means to a great many same-sex couples across the country who are eager to finally get legal recognition for their relationships,” said . Women and Equality Minister Jacqui Smith when announcing the date.

“This legislation is going to make a real difference to these couples and it demonstrates the Government's commitment to equality and social justice.

“I hope this Act will help create a more equal society. It opens the way to respect, recognition and justice for those who have been denied it for too long,” she added.

The Civil Partnership Act allows same-sex couples to make a formal, legal commitment to each other by forming a civil partnership.  At present, same-sex couples have no way of gaining formal legal recognition for their relationship and as a result suffer a range of problems in their everyday lives.

Important rights and responsibilities will flow from entering a civil partnership, helping same-sex couples to organise their lives together.

Provisions in the Act include:

■  employment and pension benefits;
■  recognition under intestacy rules;
■  access to fatal accidents compensation;
■  recognition for immigration and nationality purposes;
■  a duty to provide reasonable maintenance for your civil partner and any children of the family;
■  civil partners to be assessed in the same way as spouses for child support;
■  equitable treatment for the purposes of life assurance;

The process of entering into a civil partnership will be administered by the local registration service.  On the day of registration, each member of the couple will sign in the presence of the registration officer and two witnesses.

The Act also allows for same-sex couples who have entered legally recognised overseas relationships to be treated as civil partners in the United Kingdom.

There will be a formal, court-based process for dissolution of a civil partnership.

Implementation involves significant changes in many areas, for example in court rules, the registration service as well as training and guidance for employers. These changes will be put in place over the course of this year.

The Civil partnership Act 2004 received Royal Assent on 18 November 2004.  Ministers indicated at that time that it would take around a year to make the necessary arrangements to bring the Act into force. . Jacqui Smith told Parliament she expected the legislation to be in place by the end of next year (2005)

The UK joins nine EU countries, Vermont in the USA and most provinces in Canada, in introducing a form of legally recognised civil partnership registration.  The UK will recognise same sex partnerships legally registed in all countries, states and provinces world-wide.

Further information about civil partnership is available on the Women and Equality Unit website

21  February  2005