§ MR. LEWIS (Flint Boroughs)I beg to ask Mr. Attorney-General whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that in some cases the authorised person before whom the declarations prescribed by section 6 of the Marriage Act, 1898, are to be made has been appointed by the members of churches at church meetings or by the deacons of churches; whether such appointment is a sufficient compliance with the provisions of the Act; whether, in addition to such appointment, it is necessary that the trustees or governing body of the registered building in which the marriage is to take place, or of some registered building in the same registration district, should authorise the person in whose presence the marriage is to be solemnised and certify him as having been duly authorised for the purpose; and whether a marriage solemnised in the presence of a person who has not been so authorised and certified would be valid?
§ THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL (Sir R. WEBSTER, Isle of Wight)The person must be certified as being duly authorised by the trustees or other governing body of the building. The Act does not require any particular mode of previous selection. A marriage solemnised in the presence of a person not authorised and certified would not, in my opinion, be valid; but no general answer can be given to such a Question, as the circumstances of each particular case would have to be considered.