systems in literature, discussions with couples etc. Stonewall commented that if civil partnership was abolished and existing civil partnerships converted into marriage the Government may face legal costs for challenges from affected couples who were unhappy with this. 2.30 Common themes emerging from the more general comments on costs and benefits included the following: Views on the scale of potential costs if civil partnerships were opened to opposite sex couples and on whether spending on making this change would be appropriate Running two parallel systems (marriage and civil partnership) would cost more than one If any couples were obliged to convert their civil partnerships into marriage, the costs should be met from public funds. Many respondents mentioned issues covered in other questions or outside the scope of the consultation such as expressing views about the moral or societal costs of extending marriage to same sex couples. Almost no respondents mentioned benefits other than in terms of advancing equality if civil partnerships were opened up to opposite sex couples. 2.31 The vast majority of the 1,748 responses to the question asking whether there were implementation issues not covered in the consultation document did not provide the information sought by the question. The comments made most frequently were either opposition to marriage of same sex couples or concerns that opening civil partnership to opposite sex couples would undermine marriage. 2.32 Of the respondents who did address the question, the topic covered most often was how existing civil partnerships would be converted into marriages. Some respondents saw civil partnerships as legal contracts which it would be difficult to convert into marriages. Other issues raised were costs, the challenge of ensuring that all civil partnerships had been converted and the consequences if a couple deliberately or otherwise did not convert their civil partnership which was dissolved as a result. The other topic raised most commonly was the complication of running more than one system of legal relationship. 2.33 A of other individual points were made. Examples included questions about the position of couples in overseas opposite sex civil unions, about courtesy titles and the unknown legal territory of ending one type of legal relationship to enter another.
Other potential changes to civil partnership and the public sector equality duty 2.34 The consultation document also invited views on other potential changes to civil partnership and on the public sector equality duty, which requires consideration of how people who share the characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010 might be affected. 2.35 The first category of potential changes the consultation document asked about was to the process of forming a civil partnership and the language used to describe it. Some 1,196 respondents commented on this question; however, the majority of these comments were out of scope. 2.36 Of those that were in scope, the view expressed most frequently was agreement that civil partnerships and marriages should have distinct processes. 2.37 The consultation also asked if there were other options for changes to civil partnership that were within the scope of the review and consistent with its principles. Almost none of the comments some 988 respondents made here answered the question posed in the consultation. 2.38 Although some respondents called for or suggested changes to civil partnership, these were generally of the sort that were outside the scope of the review. Other respondents thought that there were no other options for change within the review’s scope. Some directly expressed support for keeping civil partnership in its current form or cautioned against changes. The call for the relationship to avoid the concept of gender was repeated in responding to this question. 2.39 Examples of changes raised that are outside the scope of the review included many that were raised in the passage of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 and indeed during the passage of the CPA. 2.40 The consultation asked whether people who shared a protected characteristic other than sexual orientation, gender reassignment and religion or belief would be particularly affected by any of the potential changes to civil partnership described in the document. 2.41 In commenting here, very few of the 1,254 respondents who did so directly addressed the consultation question. Instead respondents took the opportunity to set out their views and concerns about marriage for same sex couples or to call for civil partnership to be made available to siblings, close friends or dependents, both of which are outside the scope of the review or to comment on issues raised elsewhere in the consultation.
Q1: What are your views on abolishing the legal relationship of civil partnership once same sex couples can marry? Q2: Once marriage is available to same sex couples, do you think it should still be possible for couples to form a civil partnership as an alternative to marrying? Q3: What are your views about extending civil partnerships to opposite sex couples? Q4: Given the choice of forming a civil partnership or living together as an opposite sex couple, which would you personally prefer? Question 5: Given the choice of forming a civil partnership or marrying your opposite sex partner, which would you personally prefer? Answered the question 10,145 10,307 10,634 9,773 10,216 Did not answer 1,121 959 632 1,493 1,050 Response rate to question 90% 91% 94% 86.7% 90.7% Distribution of responses by question Q1: What are your views on abolishing the legal relationship of civil partnership once same sex couples can marry? Responses Percent Response Abolish 3,005 29.6 Do not abolish 5,545 54.7 No view 1,595 15.7 Total Responses 10,145 100.0 Did not answer 1,121 Total 11,266 Q2: Once marriage is available to same sex couples, do you think it should still be possible for couples to form a civil partnership as an alternative to marrying? Responses Percent Response Yes 5,388 52.3 No 4,216 40.9
Don't know 703 6.8 Total Responses 10,307 100.0 Did not answer 959 Total 11,266 Q3: What are your views about extending civil partnerships to opposite sex couples? Responses Percent Response CPs should be extended 2,317 21.8 CPs should not be extended 8,102 76.2 No view 215 2.0 Total Responses 10,634 100.0 Did not answer 632 Total 11,266 Q4: Given the choice between forming a civil partnership or living together as an opposite sex couple, which would you personally prefer? Responses Percent Response Prefer to form a CP 1,318 13.5 Prefer to live together 1,296 13.3 No preference 589 6.0 Question does not apply to me 6,570 67.2 Total Responses 9,773 100.0 Did not answer 1493 Total 11266 Q5: Given the choice of forming a civil partnership or marrying your opposite sex partner, which would you personally prefer? Response Percent Responses Prefer to form a CP 781 7.6 Prefer to marry 6,467 63.3 No preference 199 1.9