NONCONFORMIST MARRIAGES (ATTENDANCE OF REGISTRARS) BILL. (Hansard, 3 August 1898)

§ MR. A. O'CONNOR (Donegal, E.)
I have an Amendment upon the Paper with regard to this Bill. We suffer under a similar grievance, and this Bill can scarcely relieve us as it is at present. Even if it was re-committed, I should very much doubt if we could make it quite satisfactory. To the Nonconformist mind, no doubt, it is satisfactory to a large degree; but we do not accept the designation of Nonconformist. This Bill 1104 provides for places of worship, and places for the solemnisation of marriage in the hands of trustees or guardians, but those words are not applicable to the Roman Catholic churches. No doubt, many of them are in the hands of trustees, but are under the administration of the Church Government. The Bill, as at present drawn, appears to me to require that the celebrant of the marriage shall be the rector of the church. Now, in many places in England, by reason of the poverty and the scattered population of Roman Catholics, very large districts are covered by a church or chapel, that it would be practically impossible for the rector, in addition to the other celebrant, to be present on every occasion that a marriage was solemnised. I understand that the right honourable Gentleman will meet me in this matter by the insertion of some words, but the reason I put my Amendment down upon the Paper was to indicate that the position of the Roman Catholics in England is very different from that of the Roman Catholics of Scotland and Ireland. The Roman Catholics in those countries, are not under the disabilities from which the Roman Catholics in England suffer, and I think the position of the Roman Catholics in England should be made to conform with that of the Roman Catholics in Scotland and Ireland; inasmuch as the Government have made this Bill a Government Measure, and that we are prepared to accept it as an interim Measure for ourselves, and we are anxious to assist our Nonconformist friends in their difficulty. I hope the Government will next Session introduce a short 1105 Measure dealing with the disabilities under which, the Roman Catholics in this country now suffer, and put them in the same position as the Roman Catholics of Scotland and Ireland. I beg to move that the Bill be re-committed.

SIR R. WEBSTER
It would not be possible, in the scope of this Bill, to do what the honourable Gentleman desires. That must be a matter for subsequent legislation. With regard to his other point, I shall be prepared to amend the Bill upon the Report stage in such a manner as to ensure that the Roman Catholic Church shall receive the advantage of the Bill, and in that view I will accept his Amendments.

SIR R. WEBSTER
We are prepared to carry out the recommendations of the Committee. The Amendments standing on the Paper in my name have been framed after consultation with the right honourable Member for Wolverhampton and the honourable Member for Louth. They cover the points brought forward in Committee with reference, among others, to the officiating minister. That there should be more than one authorised person for the same building, and that the authorised person shall have power to issue certificates, so that there shall be no difficulty in the persons married getting their marriage lines.