Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether independent celebrants will be explicitly included within the scope of the forthcoming marriage law reform proposals.

The Government recognises the contribution that independent celebrants make to the wedding industry and will be seeking their views amongst a range of others to inform the consultation paper.

As part of the consultation, we will invite views on the introduction of independent officiants and the potential consequences of this. We will encourage everyone to engage with the consultation when published, to help to inform our next steps.