Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what her proposed timetable is for launching the consultation on the reform of weddings law in England and Wales; and what the proposed duration of that consultation will be.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
We will be undertaking the consultation on the reform of weddings law in England and Wales early this year. The exact publication date and duration is yet to be confirmed.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will bring forward changes to allow independent celebrants to conduct legally binding weddings.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
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.
In the upcoming consultation, we will invite views on the possible 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 on weddings reform.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on what date the Government intends to launch the public consultation on wedding law reform.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
We will be undertaking the consultation on the reform of weddings law in England and Wales early this year. The exact publication date is yet to be confirmed.
Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to launch a public consultation on reform of wedding law in England and Wales.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government announced on 2 October that we intend to reform weddings law when parliamentary time allows. The reforms reflect a commitment to making marriage law fairer, simpler and more modern while also protecting the solemnity and dignity of marriage. The next step is to undertake a consultation on reform of wedding law in England and Wales early into this year.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his department has made of the potential merits of recognising humanist marriages using existing powers.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government announced on 2 October that it intends to reform weddings law when parliamentary time allows. The reforms reflect a commitment to making weddings law fairer, simpler and more modern, whilst also protecting the solemnity and dignity of marriage. We want to create a level playing field for all groups, including allowing Humanist weddings to be legally recognised for the first time. We will be consulting on the details early next year.
The Government is of the view that using the existing order-making power under section 14 of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 legally to recognise Humanist weddings would mean introducing new inequalities into existing law. This is because Humanists would gain more freedoms in relation to how they marry than those available to most religious groups. The Government has decided to enable Humanist weddings as part of comprehensive reform that ensures all groups are treated fairly.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to implement the Law Commission’s July 2022 recommendations for reforming weddings law in England and Wales.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government announced on 2 October that we intend to reform weddings law when parliamentary time allows. The reforms reflect a commitment to making marriage law fairer, simpler and more modern, whilst also protecting the solemnity and dignity of marriage. We want to create a level playing field for all groups, including allowing humanist weddings to be legally recognised for the first time. We will be consulting on the details early next year.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government has taken to review the provisions of the Marriage Act 1949.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government announced on 2 October that we intend to reform weddings law when parliamentary time allows. The reforms reflect a commitment to making marriage law fairer, simpler and more modern, whilst also protecting the solemnity and dignity of marriage. We want to create a level playing field for all groups, including allowing humanist weddings to be legally recognised for the first time. We will be consulting on the details early next year.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the Government plans to implement the recommendations of the Law Commission’s 2022 report on weddings; and if it will legally recognise humanist marriages in the interim.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
On 2 October, the Government announced its intention to reform weddings law in England and Wales when parliamentary time allows and plans to consult on the details of reform early next year. These reforms will allow for the first time non-religious belief groups (including humanists) to conduct legally binding weddings. Reforms will create a level playing field within weddings law for all groups, and ensure that all groups have the same freedoms in relation to how they get married.
The Government is of the view that using the existing order-making power to legally recognise humanist weddings, even on an interim basis, would mean introducing new inequalities into existing law. This is because humanists would gain more freedoms in relation to how they marry than those available to most religious groups. The Government has decided to enable humanist weddings as part of thorough comprehensive reform that ensures all groups are treated equally and fairly.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he is taking steps to (a) speed up the marriage application process, (b) expand the scope of legal marriage venues and (c) review the 28-day notice period prior to the marriage ceremony.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The 28-day notice period implemented by the Immigration Act 2014 remains in place not only for administrative reasons but also to support safeguards against sham marriages. The Government has no plans to review this.
The Law Commission’s 2022 report on weddings law made 57 recommendations for the reform of weddings law, including in relation to preliminaries, and where weddings can take place. The Government appreciates the importance of these issues and will provide an update in due course.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will ensure that independent celebrants are included in the Government response to the Law Commission’s report entitled Celebrating Marriage: A New Weddings Law, published on 18 July 2022.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Law Commission’s 2022 report on weddings made 57 recommendations for reform of weddings law, including how independent celebrants could conduct legally binding weddings. The Government appreciates the importance of this issue and will provide an update in due course.