§ Order for Second Reading read.
§ 3.53 p.m.
§ Mr. Somerville Hastings (Barking)I beg to move, That the Bill be now read a Second time.
This Bill seeks to remedy a serious disability regarding newly erected Nonconformist and Roman Catholic chapels, in that before they may be used for the solemnisation of marriages an application to the superintendent registrar has to be made, signed by 20 householders, saying that they have used the church as their usual place of worship for not less than twelve months. That seems to me rather a long waiting period. In the Bill, it is suggested that the period should be waived.
There is another difficulty. There are no less than 500 different sects in this country which have places of worship, and some are better known than others. Provision is made in the Bill that while he period for the registration of the chapel for the solemnisation of marriages should be waived, the time in which inquiry should be made before the appointment of an authorised person to take the place of the registrar should be twelve months. I was unable to put that in my original Bill, because it was pointed out to me that the Title would have to be extended to involve persons connected with the matter. I propose, therefore, on the Committee stage, if the Bill is given a Second Reading today, to add an Amendment to the effect that I have just 1578 described, namely, that there should be a delay of twelve months before the appointment of an authorised person to take the place of the registrar, and, meanwhile, that marriages should be solemnised, but only in the presence of the registrar, as was the custom and the law before the Marriage Act, 1894, became operative.
The Rev. Llywelyn Williams (Abertillery)I beg to second the Motion.
I wish, in one sentence, to commend the Bill to the House for its eminent reasonableness and because it will remove a grievance which many Nonconformists and Roman Catholics feel in new towns and new housing estates.
§ The Joint Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. David Renton)I am happy to be able to say that I can recommend the House to accept the Bill provided, as the hon. Member for Barking (Mr. Hastings) has suggested, the Long Title be amended and a new Clause inserted to the effect that during the first year of use of a church of the kind to which the Bill refers for religious worship there should be a registrar present at the ceremony. If that is done, the hon. Gentleman can have the satisfaction of knowing that he has not only introduced a useful new Measure, but one which commends itself to the authorities concerned.
§ Question put and agreed to.
§ Bill accordingly read a Second tune.
§ Bill committed to a Standing Committee pursuant to Standing Order No. 38 (Committal of Bills).