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establish
Civil Welcoming Ceremonies, Responsibility to Children |
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Agreements and Coming of Age
Ceremonies; to make provision as to their |
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conduct; and for connected
purposes. |
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Be
it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty,
by and with the advice and |
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consent of the Lords Spiritual
and Temporal, and Commons, in this present |
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Parliament assembled, and
by the authority of the same, as follows:— |
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1 |
Civil
welcoming ceremonies |
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(1) |
Persons with parental responsibility
for a child within the meaning of the |
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Children Act 1989 (c. 41)
shall within 21 days of the birth of the child, be |
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required to arrange a civil
welcoming ceremony for that child, and the registrar |
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shall conduct such a ceremony
provided that the conditions set out in |
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subsection (2) below have
been met. |
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(2) |
The conditions mentioned
in subsection (1) above are that— |
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(a) |
the child in question has
not previously been named in a civil |
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(b) |
those with parental responsibility
have completed the necessary |
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documentation within 14 days
so as to have satisfied the prescribed |
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(c) |
the welcoming ceremony will
take place within the registration district |
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(d) |
the welcoming ceremony will
take place within the registration district |
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in which the child will normally
reside; and |
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(e) |
the place or premises where
the ceremony will take place meet any |
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(3) |
Those with parental responsibility
shall at the civil welcoming ceremony sign |
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the following documentation,
which the registrar will also sign on behalf of the |
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(a) |
the formal welcoming ceremony
certificate; and |
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(b) |
the responsibility to children
agreement, as set out in section 2 below. |
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(4) |
The
registrar shall witness the signing of these documents by those
with |
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parental responsibility,
and those with parental responsibility shall witness the |
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signing of these documents
by the registrar on behalf of the wider community. |
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(5) |
Where those with parental
responsibility have failed to meet the provisions |
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contained within subsections
(1), (2), (3) or (4) above, sanctions shall be |
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imposed as prescribed by
the Secretary of State. |
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(6) |
Where the registrar has
failed to meet the provisions contained within |
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subsections (1), (2), (3)
or (4) above, sanctions shall be imposed as prescribed |
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by the Secretary of State. |
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(7) |
A civil welcoming ceremony
shall take such form as may be prescribed, |
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(a) |
no ceremony shall take place
except in the presence of two witnesses |
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and of a registrar of the
relevant registration district; |
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(b) |
the ceremony shall be organised
by the state; and |
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(c) |
no religious service shall
be used at the ceremony. |
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2 |
Responsibility
to children agreements |
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(1) |
The registrar shall set
out in a responsibility to children agreement the |
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responsibilities of those
with parental responsibility with respect to their child, |
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(a) |
the responsibility to children
agreement shall set out the rights and |
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duties of those with parental
responsibilities in such form that as the |
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Secretary of State may by
regulations made by statutory instrument |
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(b) |
the Secretary of State shall
not make any regulations under this |
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section unless a draft of
such regulations has been laid before both |
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Houses of Parliament and approved
by resolution of both Houses. |
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(2) |
The registrar shall set
out in a responsibility to children agreement the duties |
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of society with respect to
the child, whereby— |
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(a) |
the responsibility to children
agreement shall set out the rights and |
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duties of society in such
form as the Secretary of State may by |
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regulations made by statutory
instrument prescribe; and |
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(b) |
the Secretary of State shall
not make any regulations under this section |
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unless a draft of such regulations
has been laid before both Houses of |
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Parliament and approved by
resolution of both Houses. |
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(3) |
Where there has been breach
of the responsibility to children agreement, on the |
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part of those with parental
responsibility or society, rights of redress as |
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prescribed by the Secretary
of State shall be applied. |
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3 |
Coming
of age ceremonies |
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Each person shall take part in
a formal coming of age ceremony— |
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(a) |
which shall confer on the
individual certain responsibilities and rights |
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as prescribed by the Secretary
of State; |
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(b) |
which shall take place by
the completion of Key Stage 3, or as otherwise |
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prescribed by the Secretary
of State; |
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(c) |
which, in England, shall
be linked to the undertaking and successful |
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completion of learning within
the scope of the National Curriculum for |
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England and shall be specifically
related to citizenship education; |
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(d) |
which,
in Wales, shall be linked to the undertaking and successful |
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completion of learning within
the scope of the National Curriculum for |
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Wales and shall be specifically
related to citizenship education; and |
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(e) |
which shall take the form
as may be prescribed by the Secretary of State. |
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(a) |
“key stage 3”
means the same as in the Education Act 2002 (c. 32); |
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(b) |
“National Curriculum
for England” means the same as in the Education |
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(c) |
“National Curriculum
for Wales” means the same as in the Education |
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(d) |
“prescribed”
means prescribed in regulations made by the Secretary of |
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State by statutory instrument; |
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(e) |
“registrar” shall
have the same meaning as in the Births and Deaths |
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Registration Act 1953 (c. 20);
and |
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(f) |
“parental responsibility”
means those with legal responsibility for a |
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child, who are subject to
the provisions of this Act. |
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There
shall be paid out of money provided by Parliament— |
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(a) |
any
expenditure incurred by the Secretary of State by virtue of this
Act, and |
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(b) |
any
increase attributable to this Act in the sums payable out of money
so |
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provided
by virtue of any other enactment. |
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6 |
Short
title, extent and commencement |
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(1) |
This Act may be cited as
the Rite of Passage (Welcoming and Coming of Age) |
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(2) |
This Act extends to England
and Wales only. |
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(3) |
The Secretary of State may
by order apply the provisions of the Act to different |
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local authorities at different
times. |
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