Clause 253 - Commencement
Civil Partnership Bill [Lords]
4:45 pm
Mr Christopher Chope (Shadow Minister, Environment and Transport; Christchurch, Conservative)
I think that it is a matter of pride. The people of Northern Ireland have many things about which they should be proud, including their education system with its grammar schools and their ability to stick together in marriage. The corollary of what I have just said is that only about half the number of people in Northern Ireland are in cohabitation relationships as are in such relationships in England and Wales. Obviously, a very small proportion of those who are cohabiting in Northern Ireland are doing so in a same-sex relationship.
We are not comparing like with like, but talking about a distinct part of the United Kingdom, which, according to the results of the 2001 census, is demonstrated to have a different pattern of behaviour compared with what prevails in the rest of the UK.