Part 1 Marriage of same sex couples in England and Wales

Extension of marriage

1 Extension of marriage to same sex couples

(1) 5Marriage of same sex couples is lawful.

(2) The marriage of a same sex couple may only be solemnized in accordance
with—

(a) Part 3 of the Marriage Act 1949,

(b) Part 5 of the Marriage Act 1949,

(c) 10the Marriage (Registrar General’s Licence) Act 1970, or

(d) an Order in Council made under Part 1 or 3 of Schedule 6.

(3) No Canon of the Church of England is contrary to section 3 of the Submission
of the Clergy Act 1533 (which provides that no Canons shall be contrary to the
Royal Prerogative or the customs, laws or statutes of this realm) by virtue of its

making provision about marriage being the union of one man with one
woman.

(4) Any duty of a member of the clergy to solemnize marriages (and any
corresponding right of persons to have their marriages solemnized by
5members of the clergy) is not extended by this Act to marriages of same sex
couples.

(5) A “member of the clergy” is—

(a) a clerk in Holy Orders of the Church of England, or

(b) a clerk in Holy Orders of the Church in Wales.

10Religious protection

2 Marriage according to religious rites: no compulsion to solemnize etc

(1) A person may not be compelled by any means (including by the enforcement
of a contract or a statutory or other legal requirement) to—

(a) undertake an opt-in activity, or

(b) 15refrain from undertaking an opt-out activity.

(2) A person may not be compelled by any means (including by the enforcement
of a contract or a statutory or other legal requirement)—

(a) to conduct a relevant marriage,

(b) to be present at, carry out, or otherwise participate in, a relevant
20marriage, or

(c) to consent to a relevant marriage being conducted,

where the reason for the person not doing that thing is that the relevant
marriage concerns a same sex couple.

(3) In this section—

• 25 “opt-in activity” means an activity of the kind specified in an entry in the
  first column of the following table which falls to be undertaken for the
  purposes of any enactment specified in the corresponding entry in the
  second column;

• “opt-out activity” means an activity which reverses, or otherwise
  30modifies, the effect of an opt-in activity.

(4) In this section—

• “1949 Act” means the Marriage Act 1949;

• 35“armed forces overseas marriage Order” means an Order in Council
  under Part 3 of Schedule 6;

• “person”—

  (a)

  includes a religious organisation;

  (b)

  does not include a registrar, a superintendent registrar or the
  40Registrar General;

• “relevant marriage” means—

  (a)

  a marriage of a same sex couple solemnized in accordance
  with—

  (i)

  section 26A or 26B of the 1949 Act (marriage in a place of
  45worship or in another place according to religious rites
  or usages),

  Marriage (Same Sex Couples) BillPage 4

  (ii)

  Part 5 of the 1949 Act (marriage in a naval, military or air
  force chapel),

  (iii)

  section 1 of the Marriage (Registrar General’s Licence)
  Act 1970 (deathbed marriage), where the marriage is
  5according to religious rites or usages, or

  (iv)

  an armed forces overseas marriage Order, where the
  marriage is according to religious rites or usages,

  including any ceremony forming part of, or connected with, the
  solemnization of such a marriage; and

  (b)

  10a marriage ceremony read or celebrated in accordance with
  section 46 of the 1949 Act in respect of a same sex couple
  (religious ceremony after registrar’s marriage of same sex
  couple);

  and a reference to conducting a relevant marriage is to be read
  15accordingly.

(5) In section 110 of the Equality Act 2010 (liability of employees and agents), after
subsection (5) insert—

“(5A) A does not contravene this section if A—

(a) does not conduct a relevant marriage,

(b) 20is not present at, does not carry out, or does not otherwise
participate in, a relevant marriage, or

(c) does not consent to a relevant marriage being conducted,

for the reason that the marriage is the marriage of a same sex couple.

(5B) Subsection (5A) applies to A only if A is within the meaning of “person”
25for the purposes of section 2 of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act
2013; and other expressions used in subsection (5A) and section 2 of
that Act have the same meanings in that subsection as in that section.”.

(6) In Schedule 3 to the Equality Act 2010 (services and public functions:
exceptions), after Part 6 insert—

30“ Part 6A Marriage of same sex couples in England and Wales

25A Marriage according to religious rites: no compulsion to solemnize etc

(1) A person does not contravene section 29 only because the person—

(a) does not conduct a relevant marriage,

(b) 35is not present at, does not carry out, or does not otherwise
participate in, a relevant marriage, or

(c) does not consent to a relevant marriage being conducted,

for the reason that the marriage is the marriage of a same sex couple.

(2) Expressions used in this paragraph and in section 2 of the Marriage
40(Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 have the same meanings in this
paragraph as in that section.”.

Part 3 of the Marriage Act 1949

3 Marriage for which no opt-in necessary

In Part 3 of the Marriage Act 1949, for section 26 substitute—

“26 Marriage of a man and a woman; marriage of same sex couples for
5which no opt-in necessary

(1) The following marriages may be solemnized on the authority of two
certificates of a superintendent registrar—

“(a) a marriage of a man and a woman, in a building registered
under section 41, according to such form and ceremony as the
10persons to be married see fit to adopt;

(b) a marriage of any couple in the office of a superintendent
registrar;

(bb) a marriage of any couple on approved premises;

(c) a marriage of a man and a woman according to the usages of the
15Society of Friends (commonly called Quakers);

(d) a marriage between a man and a woman professing the Jewish
religion according to the usages of the Jews;

(dd) a qualifying residential marriage;

(e) a marriage of a man and a woman according to the rites of the
20Church of England in any church or chapel in which banns of
matrimony may be published.”

(2) In this section “qualifying residential marriage” means—

(a) the marriage of a man and a woman (other than a marriage in
pursuance of subsection (1)(c) or (d) above), one or each of
25whom is house-bound or a detained person, at the usual place
of residence of the house-bound or detained person or persons,
or

(b) the marriage of a same sex couple (other than a marriage
according to the rites of the Church of England or other
30religious rites or usages), one or each of whom is house-bound
or a detained person, at the usual place of residence of the
house-bound or detained person or persons.”.

4 Opt-in: marriage in places of worship

(1) After section 26 of the Marriage Act 1949 insert—

“26A 35Opt-in to marriage of same sex couples: places of worship

(1) A marriage of a same sex couple in an appropriately registered
building according to such form and ceremony as the persons to be
married see fit to adopt may be solemnized on the authority of two
certificates of a superintendent registrar.

(2) 40For the purposes of this section “appropriately registered building”
means a building which has been registered under section 43A.

(3) An application for registration of a building under section 43A may not
be made unless the relevant governing authority has given written
consent to marriages of same sex couples.

(4) For that purpose, in relation to a building—

• “relevant governing authority” means the person or persons
  recognised by the members of the relevant religious
  organisation as competent for the purpose of giving consent for
  5the purposes of this section;

• “relevant religious organisation” means the religious organisation
  for whose religious purposes the building is used.

(5) Nothing in this section is to be taken to relate or have any reference to
marriages solemnized according to the rites of the Church of England.

(6) 10This section is subject (in particular) to sections 44A to 44C (registration
of shared buildings for marriage of same sex couples) and regulations
made under any of those sections.”.

(2) Schedule 1 (registration of buildings etc) has effect.

5 Opt-in: other religious ceremonies

15After section 26A of the Marriage Act 1949 insert—

“26B Opt-in to marriage of same sex couples: other religious ceremonies

(1) A marriage may, in any of the following cases, be solemnized on the
authority of two certificates of a superintendent registrar.

(2) Case A is where—

(a) 20the marriage is of a same sex couple according to the usages of
the Society of Friends (commonly called Quakers), and

(b) the relevant governing authority has given written consent to
such marriages of same sex couples.

(3) For that purpose “relevant governing authority” means the recording
25clerk for the time being of the Society of Friends in London.

(4) Case B is where—

(a) the marriage is of a same sex couple professing the Jewish
religion according to the usages of the Jews, and

(b) the relevant governing authority has given written consent to
30such marriages of same sex couples.

(5) For that purpose the meaning of “relevant governing authority” is to be
determined in accordance with this table—

In that table—

• “relevant definition” means the definition of “secretary of a
  45synagogue” in section 67;

• a reference to a person or persons being duly recognised is a
  reference to the person or persons being recognised for the
  purpose of giving consent for the purposes of this section.

(6) Case C is where—

(a) the marriage is of a same sex couple according to religious rites
or usages (other than the rites of the Church of England),

(b) one or each of the couple is house-bound or a detained person,

(c) the marriage is at the usual place of residence of the house-
5bound or detained person or persons, and

(d) the relevant governing authority has given written consent to
marriages of same sex couples according to those religious rites
or usages.

(7) For that purpose—

• 10“relevant governing authority” means the person or persons
  recognised by the members of the relevant religious
  organisation as competent for the purpose of giving consent for
  the purposes of this section;

• “relevant religious organisation” means the religious organisation
  15according to whose rites or usages the marriage is to be
  solemnized.

(8) Subsection (6) does not authorise a marriage that may be solemnized
under subsection (2) or (4).”.

Part 5 of the Marriage Act 1949

6 20Armed forces chapels

(1) Part 5 of the Marriage Act 1949 is amended as follows.

(2) Section 68 (solemnization of marriages in naval, military and air force chapels):
after subsection (1) insert—

“(1A) Nothing in this Part of this Act which applies to the marriage of same
25sex couples applies to marriage according to the rites of the Church of
England.”.

(3) Section 70 (registration of chapels for marriages otherwise than according to
rites of Church of England): after subsection (3) insert—

“(4) This section does not apply to the marriage of same sex couples.”.

(4) 30After section 70 insert—

“70A Registration of chapels for marriages of same sex couples otherwise
than according to rites of Church of England

(1) The Secretary of State may apply to the Registrar General for a chapel
to which this Part applies to be registered for the solemnization of
35marriages of same sex couples.

(2) Where an application is made under this section, subsections (1) to (3)
of section 70 apply to the application as if it had been made under
section 70.

(3) Where a chapel is registered on an application under this section,
40subsections (1) to (3) of section 70 apply in relation to the chapel as if it
had been registered on an application under section 70.

(4) Any application for the cancellation of a registration is to be made by
the Secretary of State.

(5) The Secretary of State may by statutory instrument make regulations
about—

(a) the registration of chapels under this section, and

(b) the cancellation of registrations.

(6) 5The regulations may, in particular, make provision—

(a) as to the procedures to be followed by the Secretary of State in
making an application for registration or an application for
cancellation of a registration;

(b) as to the procedures to be followed by the Registrar General on
10an application for registration or an application for cancellation
of a registration;

(c) as to consents required before an application for registration
may be made (including such provision amending section 2 of
the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 as the Secretary of
15State considers appropriate to secure that the giving of such a
consent is an opt-in activity under that section).

(7) A statutory instrument containing regulations under this section may
not be made unless a draft of the instrument has been laid before, and
approved by resolution of, each House of Parliament.

(8) 20In this section a reference to the cancellation of a registration is a
reference to the cancellation, under section 70(2) (as applied by this
section), of a registration under this section.”.

The Marriage (Registrar General’s Licence) Act 1970

7 Opt-in: “deathbed marriages”

25In section 1 of the Marriage (Registrar General’s Licence) Act 1970 (marriages
which may be solemnized by Registrar General’s Licence), after subsection (2)
insert—

“(3) A marriage of a same sex couple according to religious rites or usages
may not be solemnized in accordance with this Act unless the relevant
30governing authority has given written consent to marriages of same sex
couples according to those religious rites or usages.

(4) For that purpose—

• “relevant governing authority” means the person or persons
  recognised by the members of the relevant religious
  35organisation as competent for the purpose of giving consent for
  the purposes of this section;

• “relevant religious organisation” means the religious organisation
  according to whose rites or usages the marriage is to be
  solemnized.”.

40The Church in Wales

8 Power to allow for marriage of same sex couples in Church in Wales

(1) This section applies if the Lord Chancellor is satisfied that the Governing Body
of the Church in Wales has resolved that the law of England and Wales should