§ 42 Clause 24, page 17, line 5, after 'Act' insert ' or, in relation to information supplied under or for the purposes of this Act, section 53(1)(a) of the Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Scotland) Act 1965,'
§ Lord KIRKHILLMy Lords, I beg to move that this House doth agree with the Commons in their Amendment No. 42. This Amendment will facilitate prosecution where false information is given to a registrar, but the offence is not discovered until more than six months have elapsed. This is already an offence, under the 1965 405 Registration Act, but proceedings under that Act must be taken within the normal period for summary proceedings, namely six months. Quite often, however, the giving of false information in respect of a marriage does not come to light until much later. The Amendment will attract to such offences the more flexible provisions in relation to summary proceedings provided by Clause 24(3). Offences of this kind can be serious—such as concealing a legal impediment to marriage—and without this Amendment some offenders might go undetected.
§ Moved, That this House doth agree with the Commons in the said Amendment.—(Lord Kirkhill.)
Lord CAMPBELL of CROYMy Lords, again I think it is important that this Amendment should be made to the Bill, because otherwise some very serious withholding of information might escape any action if it was not detected for over six months. This enables prosecution to proceed after that period, and this should add to the deterrent to anybody who attempted to give false information such as that which might be an impediment to marriage.
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.