Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Government will seek to change the terms of reference for the Law Commission's review of marriages in response to the High Court judgement in R (Harrison and others) v Secretary of State for Justice [2020] EWHC 2096 (Admin).

The Law Commission’s terms of reference make it clear that it will not be making recommendations as to whether new groups should be allowed to conduct legally binding weddings. However, they will consider how marriages by humanist and other non-religious belief organisations could be incorporated into a revised 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 published its consultation paper on 3 September and will welcome contributions from all stakeholders.