§ Earl Russellasked Her Majesty's Government:
What legal criteria they employ to identify two people as an unmarried couple.
§ Lord Mackay of ArdbrecknishFor the purposes of deciding entitlement to social security benefits, decisions about whether a man and a woman are living together as an unmarried couple are made by adjudication officers. Guidance on the factors to be taken into account is issued by the Chief Adjudication Officer. The adjudication officer will normally consider whether the alleged couple share normal household tasks, how long the couple have been together, whether they share bills and other household expenses, if other people regard them as a couple, and whether there are children of their union or they share responsibility for childcare. Information about a sexual relationship is not requested, but if volunteered, will also be taken into consideration.
Decisions are made on the facts of the individual case. The criteria do not represent a rigid formula, and the presence or absence of any single factor will not by itself determine the decision.