{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/family-proceedings-rules-northern-ireland-1996/rule-2.12",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/family-proceedings-rules-northern-ireland-1996/rule-2.12.json",
  "legislation": "nisr/1996/322",
  "legislation_title": "The Family Proceedings Rules (Northern Ireland) 1996",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/family-proceedings-rules-northern-ireland-1996",
  "path": "rule/2.12",
  "kind": "rule",
  "number": "2.12",
  "heading": "Consent to the grant of a decree [or civil partnership order ]",
  "text": "(1) Where, before the hearing of a petition alleging 2 years’ separation coupled with the respondent’s consent to a decree [ or civil partnership order] being granted, the respondent wishes to indicate to the court that he consents to the grant of a decree [ or civil partnership order], he must do so by giving the Master a notice to that effect signed by the respondent personally. For the purposes of this paragraph an acknowledgement of service containing a statement that the respondent consents to the grant of a decree [ or civil partnership order] shall be treated as such a notice if the acknowledgement is signed—\n(a) in the case of a acting in person, by the respondent, or\n(b) in the case of a respondent represented by a solicitor, by the respondent as well as by the solicitor.\n(2) A respondent to a petition which alleges any such fact as is mentioned in paragraph (1) may give notice to the court either that he does not consent to a decree [ or civil partnership order] being granted or that he withdraws any consent which he has already given.\nWhere any such notice is given and [ no other relevant fact] is alleged, the proceedings on the petition shall be stayed and the Master shall thereupon give notice of the stay to all parties.\n[(3 In this rule a “relevant fact” is—\n(a) in a matrimonial cause, one of the facts mentioned in Article 3(2) of the Order of 1978, and\n(b) in a civil partnership cause, one of the facts mentioned in section 168(5) of the Act of 2004.]",
  "extent": "N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f1",
      "text": "Words inserted by S.R. 2005 No. 497 with effect from 05.12.05"
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f2",
      "text": "Words inserted by S.R. 2005 No. 497 with effect from 05.12.05"
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f3",
      "text": "Words inserted by S.R. 2005 No. 497 with effect from 05.12.05"
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f4",
      "text": "Words inserted by S.R. 2005 No. 497 with effect from 05.12.05"
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f5",
      "text": "Words substituted by S.R. 2005 No. 497 with effect from 05.12.05"
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f6",
      "text": "Paragraph inserted by S.R. 2005 No. 497 with effect from 05.12.05"
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f7",
      "text": "Words inserted by S.R. 2005 No. 497 with effect from 05.12.05"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/1996/322/rule/2.12",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T02:34:45.513001+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}