Family Law Act 1996
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Family Law Act 1996 CHAPTER 27 FirstPublished 1996 Reprinted 1999 Family Law Act 1996 CHAPTER 27 ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS PART I PRINCIPLES OF PARTS II AND III Section 1. The general principles underlying Parts II and III. PART II DIVORCE AND SEPARATION Court orders 2. Divorce and separation. 3. Circumstances in which orders are made. 4. Conversion of separation order into divorce order. Marital breakdown 5. Marital breakdown. 6. Statement of marital breakdown. Reflection and consideration 7. Period for reflection and consideration. 8. Attendance at information meetings. 9. Arrangements for the future. Orders preventing divorce 10. Hardship: orders preventing divorce. Welfare of children 11. Welfare of children. Supplementary 12. Lord Chancellor's rules. c.27 Family LawAct 1996 Resolution of disputes Section 13. Directions with respect to mediation. 14. Adjournments. Financial provision 15. Financial arrangements. 16. Division of pension rights: England and Wales. 17. Division of pension assets: Scotland. 18. Grounds for financial provision orders in magistrates' courts. Jurisdiction and commencement of proceedings 19. Jurisdiction in relation to divorce and separation. 20. Time when proceedings for divorce or separation begin. Intestacy 21. Intestacy: effect of separation. Marriage support services 22. Funding for marriage support services. 23. Provision of marriage counselling. Interpretation 24. Interpretation of Part II etc. 25. Connected proceedings. III LEGAL AID FOR MEDIATION IN FAMILY MATrERS 26. Legal aid for mediation in family matters. 27. Provision and availability of mediation. 28. Payment for mediation. 29. Mediation and civil legal aid. PART IV FAMmY HOMES DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Rights to occupy matrimonial home 30. Rights concerning matrimonial home where one spouse has no estate, etc. 31. Effect of matrimonial home rights as charge on dwelling-house. 32. Further provisions relating to matrimonial home rights. Occupation orders 33. Occupation orders where applicant has estate or interest etc. or has matrimonial home rights. 34. Effect of order under s. 33 where rights are charge on dwelling- house. 35. One former spouse with no existing right to occupy. 36. One cohabitant or former cohabitant with no existing right to occupy. 37. Neither spouse entitled to occupy. Family Law Act 1996 c. 27 iii Section 38. Neither cohabitant or former cohabitant entitled to occupy. 39. Supplementary provisions. 40. Additional provisions that may be included in certain occupation orders. 41. Additional considerations if parties are cohabitants or former cohabitants. Non-molestation orders 42. Non-molestation orders. Further provisions relating to occupation and non-molestation orders 43. Leave of court required for applications by children under sixteen. 44. Evidence of agreement to marry. 45. Ex parte orders. 46. Undertakings. 47. Arrest for breach of order. 48. Remand for medical examination and report. 49. Variation and discharge of orders. Enforcement powers of magistrates' courts 50. Power of magistrates' court to suspend execution of committal order. 51. Power of magistrates' court to order hospital admission or guardianship. Interim care orders and emergency protection orders 52. Amendments of Children Act 1989. Transfer of tenancies 53. Transfer of certain tenancies. Dwelling-house subject to mortgage 54. Dwelling-house subject to mortgage. 55. Actions by mortgagees: joining connected persons as parties. 56. Actions by mortgagees: service of notice on certain persons. Jurisdiction and procedure etc. 57. Jurisdiction of courts. 58. Contempt proceedings. 59. Magistrates' courts. 60. Provision for third parties to act on behalf of victims of domestic violence. 61. Appeals. General 62. Meaning of "cohabitants", "relevant child" and "associated persons". 63. Interpretation of Part IV. iv c.27 Family LawAct 1996 SUPPLEMENTAL Section 64. Provision for separate representation for children. 65. Rules, regulations and orders. 66. Consequential amendments, transitional provisions and repeals. 67. Short title, commencement and extent. Schedule 1—Arrangements for the future. Schedule 2—Financial provision. Schedule 3—Stay of proceedings. Schedule 4—Provisions supplementary to sections 30 and 31. Schedule 5—Powers of High Court and county court to remand. Schedule 6—Amendments of Children Act 1989. Schedule 7—Transfer of certain tenancies on divorce etc. or on separation of cohabitants. Part I—General. Part Il—Orders that may be made. Part Ill—Supplementary provisions. Schedule 8—Minor and consequential amendments. Part I—Amendments connected with Part II. Part Il—Amendments connected with Part III. Part Ill—Amendments connected with Part IV. Schedule 9—Modifications, saving and transitional. Schedule 10—Repeals. ELIZABETh II c. 27 Family Law Act 1996 1996 CHAPTER 27 An Act to make provision with respect to: divorce and separation; legal aid in connection with mediation in disputes relating to family matters; proceedings in cases where marriages have broken down; rights of occupation of certain domestic premises; prevention of molestation; the inclusion in certain orders under the Children Act 1989 of provisions about the occupation of a dwelling-house; the transfer of tenancies between spouses and persons who have lived together as husband and wife; and for connected purposes. [4th July 19961 E IT ENACTED by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and B Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:— PART I PRINCIPLES OF PARTS II AND III 1. The court and any person, in exercising functions under or in The general consequence of Parts II and III, shall have regard to the following general principles principles— underlying Parts II and III. (a) that the institution of marriage is to be supported; (b) that the parties to a marriage which may have broken down are to be encouraged to take all practicable steps, whether by marriage counselling or otherwise, to save the marriage; (c) that a marriage which has irretrievably broken down and is being brought to an end should be brought to an end— (i) with minimum distress to the parties and to the children affected; (ii) with questions dealt with in a manner designed to promote as good a continuing relationship between the parties and any children affected as is possible in the circumstances; and 2 c. 27 Family Law Act 1996 PART I (iii) without costs being unreasonably incurred in connection with the procedures to be followed in bringing the marriage to an end; and (d) that any risk to one of the parties to a marriage, and to any children, of violence from the other party should, so far as reasonably practicable, be removed or diminished. PART II DIVORCE AND SEPARATION Court orders Divorce and 2.—(l) The court may— separation. (a) by making an order (to be known as a divorce order), dissolve a marriage; or (b) by making an order (to be known as a separation order), provide for the separation of the parties to a marriage. (2) Any such order comes into force on being made. (3) A separation order remains in force— (a) while the marriage continues; or (b) until cancelled by the court on the joint application of the parties. Circumstances in 3.—(l) If an application for a divorce order or for a separation order which orders are is made to the court under this section by one or both of the parties to a made. marriage, the court shall make the order applied for if (but only if)— (a) the marriage has broken down irretrievably; (b) the requirements of section 8 about information meetings are satisfied; (c) the requirements of section 9 about the parties' arrangements for the future are satisfied; and (d) the application has not been withdrawn. (2) A divorce order may not be made if an order preventing divorce is in force under section 10. (3) If the court is considering an application for a divorce order and an application for a separation order in respect of the same marriage it shall proceed as if it were considering only the application for a divorce order unless— (a) an order preventing divorce is in force with respect to the marriage; (b) the court makes an order preventing divorce; or (c) section 7(6) or (13) applies. Conversion of 4.—(1) A separation order which is made before the second anniversary separation order of the marriage may not be converted into a divorce order under this into divorce order. section until after that anniversary. (2) A separation order may not be converted into a divorce order under this section at any time while— (a) an order preventing divorce is in force under section 10; or Family LawAct 1996 c.27 3 PART II (b) subsection (4) applies. (3) Otherwise, if a separation order is in force and an application for a divorce order— (a) is made under this section by either or both of the parties to the marriage, and (b) is not withdrawn, the court shall grant the application once the requirements of section 11 have been satisfied. (4) Subject to subsection (5), this subsection applies if— (a) there is a child of the family who is under the age of sixteen when the application under this section is made; or (b) the application under this section is made by one party and the other party applies to the court, before the end of such period as may be prescribed by rules of court, for time for further reflection. (5) Subsection (4)— (a) does not apply if, at the time when the application under this section is made, there is an occupation order or a non- molestation order in force in favour of the applicant, or of a child of the family, made against the other party; (b) does not apply if the court is satisfied that delaying the making of a divorce order would be significantly detrimental to the welfare of any child of the family; (c) ceases to apply— (i) at the end of the period of six months beginning with the end of the period for reflection and consideration by reference to which the separation order was made; or (ii) if earlier, on there ceasing to be any children of the family to whom subsection (4)(a) applied.