Happy New Year! With 2020 in full flow, we want to draw your attention to various ‘private members bills’ which will be making their way through the House of Lords, between now and February 5th.
There is a total of 84 (potential) bills to be discussed. These bills include: changes to pensions, cohabiting, inheritance tax and assisted dying; to name a few.
Many of these ‘bills’ have been due to be discussed for some time but were delayed following the proroguing of Parliament, in 2019.
Law Changes: Civil Partnerships
The New Year saw a change to regulations in Civil Partnership, Marriages and Death (Registration) Act 2019. This change extended civil partnerships to heterosexual (opposite sex) couples.
The change itself came into play on December 2nd, but as couples are required to give a minimum of 28 days, the first Civil Partnerships officially took place on January 1st 2020.
This extension enables opposite-sex couples to form a civil partnership (opposed to marriage or just cohabiting). Civil Partnerships offer protection, rights and benefits covering financial entitlements and parental rights; to name a few. That said, it is still considered that too many couples cohabit without making a legal commitment, leaving them exposed.
One of the Bills to be discussed (as mentioned earlier) in the House of Lords is the Cohabitation Rights Bill. This has been on the periphery of discussion for over 13 years.
If the bill gets passed it will look to offer greater legal protection, such as over property of a deceased cohabitant who are survived by their partner. The aim of the bill is to ‘address economic unfairness at the end of a relationship’ for cohabiting couples.
Other Bills To Be Discussed
Mid-January (14-16th) will see the discussion around changes to the ‘Inheritance Act Bill’ and ‘Pensions Bill’. The next sitting of the House of Lords will also discuss other significant bills around end of life care and assisted dying.
Lord Falconer (who previously tried to introduce changes) will reintroduce the ‘Assisted Dying Bill’. The bill will be hoping to make it legal to assist a terminally ill person in ending their life and suffering, without facing the threat of prosecution.
Similarly, Lord Warner’s ‘Right to Die at Home Bill’ will make provision for any eligible person resident in the United Kingdom to have an effective right to die at home or at the place that the person regards as home. Opposed to the sterile and unfamiliar hospital environment.
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By recording your funeral wishes on My Last Request you will have the peace of mind that your wishes will be known and honoured.
As well as recording your funeral wishes you will also be able to store photos and any personal video messages for your family and friends.
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Recording your wishes on My Last Request will give you peace of mind and ensure all your important information is stored in one, safe place.