Civil Partnership (Miscellaneous and Consequential Provisions) Order 2005

I am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Noakes, and the noble Lord, Lord Goodhart, for welcoming the orders. The noble Baroness asked two questions. First, she asked where it will all end. I am equally interested in the answer. However, there will be a considerable number of negative orders, which we have always made clear. They will relate to details of legislation, court rules, public service pensions and contracted-out pension schemes. There are likely to be some 20 negative orders. Furthermore, five affirmative orders are to be debated at a future date in the House to complete the process. They are amendments to the judicial and Church pension schemes; amendments to the parliamentary pension scheme; an order under Section 219 of the Civil Partnership Act to make provisions in relation to the jurisdiction of UK courts in relation to dissolutions; an order under Section 259 of the Act amending the Family Law Act 1986; and an order under Section 259 of the Act amending the International Organisation Act 1968. There are also two sets of regulations amending tax law, which will debated only in the House of Commons. Secondly, the noble Baroness asked whether we are sure that we have made all the necessary changes. This is a complicated issue, but the noble Baroness is right that we must have legislation without loose ends. Lawyers and officials have trawled through hundreds of pieces of legislation and firmly believe that they have covered all but the most obscure provisions. We need not worry about those. I therefore say on behalf of government departments that we strongly believe that we have covered the ground and identified all the changes that need to be made by orders.