Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the legal recognition of humanist marriages in Scotland since 2005; and if he will make it his policy to legally recognise those marriages in England.

Reform of marriage law in England and Wales should be undertaken on a comprehensive rather than piecemeal basis. That is why we invited the Law Commission last year to review the law on how and where couples may marry. As part of that review, the Law Commission will make recommendations about how marriage by humanist and other non-religious belief organisations could be incorporated into a revised or new scheme for all marriages that is simple, fair and consistent.

The Commission initially delayed its publication of the consultation paper due to the Coronavirus pandemic but the consultation is now live. The law on wedding ceremonies is a complex and important area of the law. The Commission considered it essential to conduct a proper consultation with the wide range of interested groups and individuals who would be affected by reform. It did not feel that publishing during the initial period of public emergency would achieve this, particularly when weddings were being postponed.

The Commission will be considering its overall timetable in light of the timing of the consultation, and it expects to report to Government with its recommendations in the second half of next year.