Part I deals with the reduction of the age of majority in
England and Wales from 21 to 18. Provides provision for the
Parliament of Northern Ireland to enact similar legislation. Part II, covering the property rights of
illegitimate children, has been largely repealed by the Family Law Reform Act 1987. Paragraphs 1 and 3 of section 19 of the act, the sole provisions in part II that remain in force, extend rights of children under section 11 of the
Married Women's Property Act 1882 and section 2 of the
Married Women's Policies of Assurance (Scotland) Act 1880 to illegitimate children. Part III provides the courts with the power to compel the taking of blood tests to determine
paternity of a child. Part IV, for miscellaneous and general provisions, allows for the rebuttal of legal presumptions of legitimacy or illegitimacy with evidence of probability that a person is
legitimate or illegitimate. == Notes ==