Civil Partnership and Marriage are the Same Essay

Civil Partnership and Marriage are the Same - Essay Example To be eligible for a civil partnership, the parties should be of the same sex, be unmarried and not already a civil partner, be over the age of 16 and have parental consent if under 18 years of age, and should not be within the prohibited degrees of relationship. The formalities of marriage are predominantly governed by â€Å"the Marriage Act 1949, the Marriage Act 1983 and the Marriage (Registrar General’s Licence) Act 1970† (LexisNexis 2011). They include requirement for licenses, the conduction of marriages in a prescribed place, the fulfillment of formalities that relate to the hours of marriage, the attendance of witnesses, and other factors. Failure to comply with the formalities may form grounds for nullity. The formalities governing the formation of a civil partnership are contained in the Civil Partnership Act 2004. They include the requirements pertaining to notice and residence, the place of registration, delivery of the civil partnership document, registrati on, publicity, objections, and the waiting period. There is recognition of particular overseas relationships in England and Wales, which derive the same benefits as civil partnerships, and may be terminated in the same way as civil partnerships. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to critically discuss the statement that civil partnership is simply marriage by another name; therefore there is no need to extend marriage to same-sex couples or civil partnership to different-sex couples. Civil Partnerships and Marriage Until 1967 the concept of same-sex partners had not been acceptable in the United Kingdom; and sexual relations between two people of the same gender was considered illegal. The law was changed in 2004 as a result of extensive pressure from the gay community and the government’s commitment to equality and social justice. Ultimately, the law recognised the relationship between same-sex couples as similar to the marriage relationship between opposite-sex people. These reforms are significant, particularly for those generations of same-sex couples who suffered discrimination because of their relationship being considered illegal (Family Law 2, 2007). Thus, The Civil Partnership Act 2004 (CPA) has had long-term legal effects. It creates a new legal status of ‘civil registered partner’, and aligns English law with that of â€Å"the Netherlands, Belgium, parts of Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Portugal, Spain and Germany† (Family Law 2, 2007: 30). The Act grants several rights and responsibilities to homosexual partnerships that have been registered. Like marriage, the Civil Partnership Act, 2004 has particular formalities which need to be in place. The formation of the civil partnership is procedurally similar to the civil wedding. Thus, â€Å"the registration cannot take place in a place of religious worship and no religious service is permitted† (Family Law 2, 2007: 30). However, a specific difference between a c ivil marriage and a civil partnership is the form of words used; that is, no specific forms of words need to be used for a civil partnership unlike the case of a civil wedding. Only people of the same sex can register Section 2(1) of the Civil Partner

Research about Government Expenditure in a country and then compare it Essay

Research about Government Expenditure in a country and then compare it to another country - Essay Example This is managed by the central state and its ministries, regional and local authorities, separate public bodies and international organizations. The management of budget and finance is the responsibility of the Ministry of Finance and that of the Central Bank that exercises control on its use and allocation. This is done through a legislated agreement whereby all revenues are deposited to a Central Bank and could be withdrawn only through a legislature. This study will focus on the impact of budgeting processes in the developing countries Sample steps of budget preparations to show how government expenditure is planned and implemented will also be discussed The line budgeting system requires a listing of expenditures for the coming year. These are itemized according to objects of expenditures and quite often detailed as to where the budget item will be used for instance, how much money will be spent by the agency for personnel services, travel, maintenance, equipment and others. This system has been designed so that an agency will not overspend on their allocated budget for a specific item in a specified year. The advantage of the system is it is simple, easy to understand, expenses are controlled and expenditures are comparable with prior years. While this type of budget management is simple and easy, World Bank sees its limitations such that it should be reformed to cope with the advancement of a rapidly and technologically changing world. WB experts see that line budgeting offers no explanations where budget has been spent; neither will it provide information on the programs implemented. It is short-sighted, as it is programmed for short term, e.g. one year, and does not take into account long-term approach. Upon recognizing the limitations of line budget, another approach focused on performance basis was tried. This time, the activities of the agency is tied up with the budget. The basis of budget decisions depends on what