Martin Partington: Spotlight on the Justice System

At present, divorce law requires people seeking divorce must show that there has been irretrievable breakdown in the marriage. To do this they must give evidence of one or more of 5 facts; 3 are based on ‘fault’  (adultery, unreasonable behaviour or desertion) and 2 are based on a period of separation (2 years’ separation where the other spouse consents to the divorce, or 5 years’ separation where the other spouse does not consent).

In practice, only about 2% of respondents contest the petitioner’s decision to seek a divorce. Of these 2% of respondents, only a handful go on to contest (“defend”) the divorce at a court hearing. This means that, under the current law, a spouse who wishes to divorce can already be certain of doing so in practice, regardless of the other spouse’s wishes, provided that the petition establishes irretrievable breakdown.

There are domestic abuse cases where the current grounds for divorce can be used in a coercive way.

Proposals detailed in the consultation include:

• retaining the sole ground for divorce: the irretrievable breakdown of a marriage
• removing the need to show evidence of the other spouse’s conduct, or a period of living apart
• introducing a new notification process where one, or possibly both parties, can notify the court of the intention to divorce
• removing the opportunity for the other spouse to contest the divorce application

The consultation also seeks views on the minimum timeframe for the process between the interim decree of divorce (decree nisi) and final decree of divorce (decree absolute) (currently 6 weeks, one day). This will allow couples time to reflect on the decision to divorce and to reach agreement on arrangements for the future where divorce is inevitable.

The Consultation runs until mid-December 2018.

The Paper can be accessed at https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/reform-of-the-legal-requirements-for-divorce/.

A detailed Press Release is at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/justice-secretary-confirms-plans-to-reduce-conflict-in-divorce

Although there has been considerable public response to these proposals, it can be anticipated that at the end of the consultation dissenting opinions will be heard. The paper has also been criticised for not addressing other issues arising from relationship breakdown, in particular affecting couples who have not married or engaged in a civil partnership.