§ Mr. Alex CarlileTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (1) what plans he has to recognise British post-operative transsexuals who marry legally abroad as being married in their acquired gender; and if he will make a statement;
(2) if post-operative transsexuals who have married under New Zealand law will be recognised as married under British law; and if will make a statement.
Mr. John M. TaylorThe position in the law of England and Wales is that a marriage to which parties are not respectively male and female is void. What sex a person has for this purpose is a question of fact, but the present legal position is that the biological criteria for determining sex are established at birth. The Government have no plans to change the law.