Asked by: Baroness Blackstone (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many religious denominations which had no registered places of worship for the purpose of solemnising opposite-sex marriages prior to 2013 have registered such places of worship since 2013; and to list those denominations and places by the date of their first registration.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Five denominations, which had no places of worship registered for the purpose of solemnizing marriages prior to 2013, have since registered. They are:
Denomination | Place | Date of Registration |
Hillsong Church | Newcastle Upon Tyne | 30/09/2013 |
Scientologist | London | 18/12/2013 |
Universal Truth | Surrey | 01/06/2014 |
Glorious Church | Milton Keynes | 25/06/2014 |
Indian Orthodox | Bristol | 31/05/2016 |
Asked by: Baroness Blackstone (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made on plans to (1) move to an electronic system of marriage registration, (2) add mothers' names to marriage certificates, (3) allow conversions between opposite-sex marriages and civil partnerships, and (4) bring into force reforms to divorce, dissolution, and separation.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Home Office is currently working on implementation plans to introduce the provisions in the Civil Partnership, Marriages and Deaths (Registration Etc) Act 2019. This will facilitate the move to an electronic system of marriage registration and the update of the marriage entry to include the names of both sets of parents of a couple.
The Government Equalities Office ran a six-week consultation on the future of conversion rights in summer 2019. We are analysing the responses and will publish the government response and bring forward any necessary legislation in 2020.
The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act received Royal Assent in June. The Government has been clear implementing its reforms will be a significant and complex task. Given the scale of the work needed, we are working to an indicative timetable of Autumn 2021.