§ Mr. LeighTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2004,Official Report, column 861W, on civil partnerships, whether legal rights and benefits to which married couples are entitled have not been included in the Civil Partnership Bill. [169142]
§ Ms Hewitt[holding answer 28 April 2004]: The purpose of the Civil Partnership Bill is to establish a new legal relationship for same-sex couples and to enable those couples who register as civil partners of each other to access many of the legal rights and responsibilities to which married couples are entitled. The Government have therefore aimed to provide parity of treatment for civil partners.