Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of legal protections for co-habiting couples compared with married couples.

The Government shares concerns that existing protections for cohabiting couples are limited and the weakness of these protections can disproportionately affect women, children and the vulnerable. The Government considers this to be an issue that affects communities across England and Wales, including in rural constituencies like West Dorset.

Cohabitation reform is a matter of utmost importance. That is why the Government committed in its manifesto to strengthen rights and protections for cohabiting couples. We will be launching a public consultation by Spring next year to explore how best to strengthen cohabitants’ rights, while maintaining marriage as one of our most important institutions.