Part II Divorce and Separation
Court orders
F12 Divorce and separation.
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F13 Circumstances in which orders are made.
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F14 Conversion of separation order into divorce order.
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Marital breakdown
F15 Marital breakdown.
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F16 Statement of marital breakdown.
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Reflection and consideration
F17 Period for reflection and consideration.
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F18 Attendance at information meetings.
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9 Arrangements for the future.
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 M1Marriage 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 M2Family Law (Scotland) Act 1985, any declaration under subsection (2) must be a statutory declaration.
Orders preventing divorce
F110 Hardship: orders preventing divorce.
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Welfare of children
F111 Welfare of children.
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Supplementary
F112Rules about procedure
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Resolution of disputes
F113 Directions with respect to mediation.
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F114 Adjournments.
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Financial provision
F115 Financial arrangements.
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F316. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
F217. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
F118 Grounds for financial provision orders in magistrates’ courts.
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Jurisdiction and commencement of proceedings
F119 Jurisdiction in relation to divorce and separation.
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F120 Time when proceedings for divorce or separation begin.
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Intestacy
F121 Intestacy: effect of separation.
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Marriage support services
22 Funding for marriage support services.
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.
F123 Provision of marriage counselling.
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Interpretation
F124 Interpretation of Part II etc.
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F125 Connected proceedings.
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