§ Mr. LeighTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the Civil Partnership Bill allows(a) religious ceremonies for same-sex civil partnerships and (b) partnerships to be registered in religious premises. [169016]
§ Ms HewittClause 2 of the Civil Partnership Bill would ensure that no religious service is to be used while the civil partnership registrar is officiating at the signing of a civil partnership document. Clause 6 would prohibit same-sex couples registering as civil partners of each other in religious premises.
It would be open to individual religious faiths to decide for themselves if they wished to offer a service of blessing after the formation of a civil partnership.