In 2005, same-sex couples in the UK received the right to enter into civil partnerships, which are not equal to marriage, but provide a significant part of the legal rights that married spouses get. On July 17, 2013, the territory of England and Wales passed a law legalizing gay marriage. This law does not apply to Scotland and Northern Ireland which have separate legislation, where such marriages are equal to civil partnerships. On February 4, 2014 the Scottish Parliament adopted its own law on the legalization of gay marriage.
The rights and obligations:
Registered partnership is based on a number of rights and duties, and translates into many areas of life. In particular:
• common affairs of the Partnership (the partners are committed to jointly deal with things on their cohabitation)
• representation partners can be represented in routine matters, such as take a letter to borrow a book, cancel booking of a hotel, etc., and the conduct of a partner are committed to both)
• maintenance of obligations (both partners should share the same standard of living and are required to be mutually supportive; beyond the end of the partnership, one of the partners under certain circumstances, may require maintenance)
• Property relationships (for partners, there is no common property and belongings taken during the partnership to acquire either individual property or a unit of ownership in equal shares.
• rent an apartment (there is no automatic or joint apartment lease and partners are left to deal with the landlord; however, a partner has the right to occupy the apartment and after death of the other partner)
• inheritance and the right to seek protection of personality (the surviving partner inherits from the law in the first group of heirs equally with the children of the deceased; in the case of childlessness, they inherit in the second group of heirs along with the parents of the deceased; at least half the inheritance may also exercise the right to protection of personality of deceased partne.
• health information (doctors, partners informed about the disease and the need for medical procedures)
• Institute of parties close (partners are automatically perceived as a close person, which is reflected in many other areas, as opposed to an unmarried couple to not have to prove the fulfillment of other conditions)
• Employment right and job search (place of employment and the nature of the partner must take office work into consideration when looking for a job)
• jointly assessed persons (for the purpose of providing some social benefits to partners deemed to be jointly assessed persons)
• trade (partner may continue to trade the deceased partner, if the heir of a trade or co-owner of property is used for the operation of the trade)
