Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department is taking steps to introduce legislative proposals to enable cohabiting couples to share financial and property rights; and if he will make a statement.

The Government’s current priorities are to reform the law on the process for obtaining a divorce in order to reduce family conflict and to extend civil partnerships to opposite sex couples. The Government will be considering how to proceed in relation to proposals made by the Law Commission in the context of any further reforms to the family justice system.