§ Dr. Lynne JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has(a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the likelihood of breakdown of (i) cohabiting unions and (ii) marriages. [59062]
§ Mr. HoonI have been asked to reply.
The Government have not commissioned any research on this question. There is evidence from research (for example, Buck and Ermisch, Cohabitation in Britain. Changing Britain 1995) that cohabiting relationships are more likely than marriages to break down.