15 Jul 05

The Civil Partnership Act 2004 received Royal Assent on 18 November 2004. The Government announced on 21 February that the Act would come into force on 5 December this year. This will allow the first civil partnerships under the standard procedure to be formed on 21 December.



Meg Munn MP,  Deputy Minister for Women and Equality sent UK Black Out the following letter:

I'm writing to tell you that the Civil Partnership Act 2004 is due to come into force from 5 December this year, enabling same-sex couples to register their civil partnerships from 21 December onwards. I am delighted to be the Minister with responsibility for bringing this Act into force - it is a much needed social reform which will, for the first time, enable same-sex couples to obtain recognition for their relationships.

In the run up to the Act coming into force, the Women and Equality Unit will be publishing regular e-bulletins on its website to highlight the arrangements being made for civil partnership. This will provide vital information including the procedures for registering. I am pleased to tell you that the first of these bulletins has now been published on the website - to view this, click here http://www.womenandequalityunit.gov.uk/lgbt/partnership_e_bulletin.htm

I would encourage you to forward this email on to anyone you think would like to know more about civil partnership. Anyone who would like to add their name to the distribution list for e-mail alerts about future e-bulletins, please send details to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

Similarly, if you have received this email directly from DTI and do not wish to receive any future messages about civil partnership, please email to this address and we will remove you from the mailing list.

Best wishes

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Meg Munn MP,
Deputy Minister for Women and Equality