§ Mr. DewarTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many decrees of divorce were granted in Scotland in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will break this figure down on the basis of the grounds of divorce used to establish the irretrievable breakdown of the marriage.
§ Mr. RifkindThe numbers of decrees of divorce granted in Scotland for 1988, the latest year for which figures are available, broken down by grounds are set out in the table.
1988 Adultery 1,309 Behaviour 3,559 Desertion 83 Non-cohabitation for 2 years with consent 4,879 Non-cohabitation for 5 years 1,626 Cases with more than one ground 12 Total 11,468
§ Mr. DewarTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate, using current divorce statistics, of the percentage of marriages now contracted in Scotland which will end in divorce.
§ Mr. RifkindA paper on "Trends in Marriage and Divorce in Scotland 1951–1987", published by the Registrar General for Scotland with the vital statistics return for the week 17–20 June 1989, estimated that approximately one quarter of recent Scottish marriages would end in divorce.