Among the changes introduced by the 1996 Act were that: remedies were no longer confined to interspousal violence in that cohabitees could, on certain conditions, avail of the remedies provided by the 1996 Act, as could parents against their adult children; a new type of long-term protection order called a safety order was introduced and this was made available to persons residing together in a relationship, the basis of which was not primarily contractual, in addition, of course, to the other categories who are eligible for barring orders; the maximum duration of a barring order granted by the District Court was increased from one to three years and; the Act, for the first time, provided that a health board, on certain conditions, could apply for a barring order or a safety order on behalf of a victim of domestic violence.