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| Divorce rate lowest for 26 years | Divorce rate lowest for 26 years |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| The divorce rate for England and Wales has fallen for the third year running to its lowest level for 26 years. | The divorce rate for England and Wales has fallen for the third year running to its lowest level for 26 years. |
| Annual figures show the divorce rate fell to 11.9 divorces for every 1,000 married couples in 2007, down from 12.2 divorces in 2006. | |
| In Scotland, divorces fell by 1.9% in 2007, while in Northern Ireland the number increased significantly by 14%. | |
| The highest rate of divorce was among couples in their late 20s and just over half involved couples with a child. | The highest rate of divorce was among couples in their late 20s and just over half involved couples with a child. |
| The report, by the Office for National Statistics, did not analyse the reasons why divorce rates had fallen. | |
| Penny Mansfield, Director of One Plus One, a charity that works to improve relationships, said that although fewer couples are marrying, couple relationships are still as popular and family life is more fragile. | |
| "Annual divorce statistics no longer offer us a clear picture of the state of British relationships - those who don't marry can't divorce, but they and their children are just as likely, if not more likely, to experience the impact of relationship breakdown," she said. | |
| The report also noted that 42 civil partnerships in England and Wales were dissolved in 2007 - 28 of them female couples and 14 male couples. | |
| Civil partnerships became legal in Britain in December 2005. |