Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to enable legal recognition of humanist marriages through section 14 of the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act 2013 as an interim step before further reform.

The Government announced in June 2019 that the Law Commission will conduct a fundamental review of the law on how and where people can legally marry in England and Wales. As part of that review, the Government invited the Law Commission to 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 Government will decide on provision on the basis of the Law Commission's recommendations.

The Law Commission has now published a consultation paper as part of its review and will welcome responses from all.