Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the judgment in R (Harrison and others) v Secretary of State for Justice 2020, what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals for humanist marriages after the conclusion of the Law Commission marriage review.

The Law Commission report is expected to present options for wholesale reform to the law governing marriage ceremonies, which the Government will consider carefully. Options being explored by the Law Commission include offering couples greater flexibility to form their own ceremonies, allowing the ceremony to take place in a much broader range of locations and to provide a framework that could allow non-religious belief organisations (such as Humanists) and/or independent celebrants to conduct legally binding weddings.