Family Law Act 1996

Part II U.K. Divorce and Separation

Prospective

Court orders E+W

F1 2 Divorce and separation. E+W

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Textual Amendments

F1 Pt. II repealed (except for s. 22) (13.5.2014) by Children and Families Act 2014 (c. 6), ss. 18(1), 139(4)

F1 3 Circumstances in which orders are made. E+W

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Textual Amendments

F1 Pt. II repealed (except for s. 22) (13.5.2014) by Children and Families Act 2014 (c. 6), ss. 18(1), 139(4)

F1 4 Conversion of separation order into divorce order. E+W

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Textual Amendments

F1 Pt. II repealed (except for s. 22) (13.5.2014) by Children and Families Act 2014 (c. 6), ss. 18(1), 139(4)

Prospective

Marital breakdown E+W

F1 5 Marital breakdown. E+W

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Textual Amendments

F1 Pt. II repealed (except for s. 22) (13.5.2014) by Children and Families Act 2014 (c. 6), ss. 18(1), 139(4)

F1 6 Statement of marital breakdown. E+W

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Textual Amendments

F1 Pt. II repealed (except for s. 22) (13.5.2014) by Children and Families Act 2014 (c. 6), ss. 18(1), 139(4)

Valid from 13/05/2014

Reflection and consideration E+W

Prospective

F1 7 Period for reflection and consideration. E+W

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Textual Amendments

F1 Pt. II repealed (except for s. 22) (13.5.2014) by Children and Families Act 2014 (c. 6), ss. 18(1), 139(4)

Prospective

F1 8 Attendance at information meetings. E+W

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Textual Amendments

F1 Pt. II repealed (except for s. 22) (13.5.2014) by Children and Families Act 2014 (c. 6), ss. 18(1), 139(4)

Prospective

9 Arrangements for the future. E+W

(1) The requirements as to the parties’ arrangements for the future are as follows.

(2) One of the following must be produced to the court—

(a) a court order (made by consent or otherwise) dealing with their financial arrangements;

(b) a negotiated agreement as to their financial arrangements;

(c) a declaration by both parties that they have made their financial arrangements;

(d) a declaration by one of the parties (to which no objection has been notified to the court by the other party) that—

(i) he has no significant assets and does not intend to make an application for financial provision;

(ii) he believes that the other party has no significant assets and does not intend to make an application for financial provision; and

(iii) there are therefore no financial arrangements to be made.

(3) If the parties—

(a) were married to each other in accordance with usages of a kind mentioned in section 26(1) of the M1 Marriage Act 1949 (marriages which may be solemnized on authority of superintendent registrar’s certificate), and

(b) are required to co-operate if the marriage is to be dissolved in accordance with those usages,

the court may, on the application of either party, direct that there must also be produced to the court a declaration by both parties that they have taken such steps as are required to dissolve the marriage in accordance with those usages.

(4) A direction under subsection (3)—

(a) may be given only if the court is satisfied that in all the circumstances of the case it is just and reasonable to give it; and

(b) may be revoked by the court at any time.

(5) The requirements of section 11 must have been satisfied.

(6) Schedule 1 supplements the provisions of this section.

(7) If the court is satisfied, on an application made by one of the parties after the end of the period for reflection and consideration, that the circumstances of the case are—

(a) those set out in paragraph 1 of Schedule 1,

(b) those set out in paragraph 2 of that Schedule,

(c) those set out in paragraph 3 of that Schedule, or

(d) those set out in paragraph 4 of that Schedule,

it may make a divorce order or a separation order even though the requirements of subsection (2) have not been satisfied.

(8) If the parties’ arrangements for the future include a division of pension assets or rights under section 25B of the 1973 Act or section 10 of the M2 Family Law (Scotland) Act 1985, any declaration under subsection (2) must be a statutory declaration.

Marginal Citations

M1 1949 c. 76.

M2 1985 c. 37.

Prospective

Orders preventing divorce E+W

F1 10 Hardship: orders preventing divorce. E+W

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Textual Amendments

F1 Pt. II repealed (except for s. 22) (13.5.2014) by Children and Families Act 2014 (c. 6), ss. 18(1), 139(4)

Prospective

Welfare of children E+W

F1 11 Welfare of children. E+W

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Textual Amendments

F1 Pt. II repealed (except for s. 22) (13.5.2014) by Children and Families Act 2014 (c. 6), ss. 18(1), 139(4)

Prospective

Supplementary E+W

F1 12 Rules about procedure E+W

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Textual Amendments

F1 Pt. II repealed (except for s. 22) (13.5.2014) by Children and Families Act 2014 (c. 6), ss. 18(1), 139(4)

Prospective

Resolution of disputes E+W

F1 13 Directions with respect to mediation. E+W

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Textual Amendments

F1 Pt. II repealed (except for s. 22) (13.5.2014) by Children and Families Act 2014 (c. 6), ss. 18(1), 139(4)

F1 14 Adjournments. E+W

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Textual Amendments

F1 Pt. II repealed (except for s. 22) (13.5.2014) by Children and Families Act 2014 (c. 6), ss. 18(1), 139(4)

Prospective

Financial provision E+W

F1 15 Financial arrangements. E+W

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Textual Amendments

F1 Pt. II repealed (except for s. 22) (13.5.2014) by Children and Families Act 2014 (c. 6), ss. 18(1), 139(4)

F2 16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E+W

Textual Amendments

F2 S. 16 repealed (1.12.2000) by 1999 c. 30, s. 88, Sch. 13 Pt. II; S.I. 2000/1116, art. 2(g)

F3 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E+W+S

Textual Amendments

F3 S. 17 repealed (6.4.2002) by 1999 c. 30, s. 88, Sch. 13 Pt. II; S.I. 2001/4049, art. 2(3)(c)

F1 18 Grounds for financial provision orders in magistrates’ courts. E+W

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Textual Amendments

F1 Pt. II repealed (except for s. 22) (13.5.2014) by Children and Families Act 2014 (c. 6), ss. 18(1), 139(4)

Prospective

Jurisdiction and commencement of proceedings E+W

F1 19 Jurisdiction in relation to divorce and separation. E+W

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Textual Amendments

F1 Pt. II repealed (except for s. 22) (13.5.2014) by Children and Families Act 2014 (c. 6), ss. 18(1), 139(4)

F1 20 Time when proceedings for divorce or separation begin. E+W

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Textual Amendments

F1 Pt. II repealed (except for s. 22) (13.5.2014) by Children and Families Act 2014 (c. 6), ss. 18(1), 139(4)

Prospective

Intestacy E+W

F1 21 Intestacy: effect of separation. E+W

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Textual Amendments

F1 Pt. II repealed (except for s. 22) (13.5.2014) by Children and Families Act 2014 (c. 6), ss. 18(1), 139(4)

Marriage support services E+W

22 Funding for marriage support services. E+W

(1) The Lord Chancellor may, with the approval of the Treasury, make grants in connection with—

(a) the provision of marriage support services;

(b) research into the causes of marital breakdown;

(c) research into ways of preventing marital breakdown.

(2) Any grant under this section may be made subject to such conditions as the Lord Chancellor considers appropriate.

(3) In exercising his power to make grants in connection with the provision of marriage support services, the Lord Chancellor is to have regard, in particular, to the desirability of services of that kind being available when they are first needed.

Prospective

F1 23 Provision of marriage counselling. E+W

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Textual Amendments

F1 Pt. II repealed (except for s. 22) (13.5.2014) by Children and Families Act 2014 (c. 6), ss. 18(1), 139(4)

Prospective

Interpretation E+W

F1 24 Interpretation of Part II etc. E+W

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Textual Amendments

F1 Pt. II repealed (except for s. 22) (13.5.2014) by Children and Families Act 2014 (c. 6), ss. 18(1), 139(4)

F1 25 Connected proceedings. E+W

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Textual Amendments

F1 Pt. II repealed (except for s. 22) (13.5.2014) by Children and Families Act 2014 (c. 6), ss. 18(1), 139(4)