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Written question asked by Lord Pickles (Conservative) on Thursday, 8 December 2022, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 22 December 2022. It was answered by Lord Bellamy (Conservative) on Tuesday, 20 December 2022 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Marriage: Ceremonies

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Answer by Lord Bellamy on 29 November on humanist marriages (HL Deb col 1668), why they have committed to legislating for outdoor religious marriages outside of wholesale reform of marriage law.

Answer

As part of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, in which the circumstances were exceptional, the Government accelerated legislation to allow outdoor civil weddings and civil partnership registrations to take place within the grounds of existing approved premises. Following a recent consultation on these measures, the provisions were made permanent. In addition, respondents were overwhelmingly in favour of the proposal to permit outdoor religious ceremonies in the grounds of places of worship, as long as this is permitted by the respective religious bodies. The Government will therefore take these proposals forward in due course.

The Law Commission’s report on weddings law was published in July and the Government is currently considering its recommendations. As has been set out in Parliament, marriage will always be one of our most important institutions and we must ensure that before publishing a response, we have considered the implications of any changes to the law very carefully.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL4172
Session
2022-23
Related items
Humanist Marriages
Tuesday, 29 November 2022
Oral answers to questions
House of Lords
Subjects
Ceremonies Marriage
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk