§ Mr. DenhamTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the costs of waiving the fee charged to couples seeking to marry in less than the 15 day waiting period where one partner has been called up for military service overseas; and if he will make a statement. [106998]
§ Ruth KellyThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr John Denham, dated 4 April 2003:
As National Statistician and Registrar General, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the waiving of fees charged to couples seeking to marry in less than the 15 day waiting period. (106998)The fee payable to me as Registrar General is 28 for each application to reduce the 15 day waiting period. It was set when the power was introduced on 1 January 2001 and is a prescribed fee that represents the costs to the Registrar General of providing this service and I have has no power to reduce or waive it.