The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Northern Ireland) (No. 2) Regulations 2020

Conversions: protection from compulsion

16.—(1) A religious body, or a person acting on behalf of or under the auspices of a religious body, may not be compelled—

(a) to allow religious premises to be used as the place at which any part of a conversion before an officiant takes place,

(b) to officiate at any part of a conversion before an officiant, or

(c) to facilitate, arrange, participate in or be present at any part of a conversion before an officiant,

where the reason for not doing that thing is that the body or person does not want to do things of that sort in relation to any conversion before an officiant.

(2) A religious body, or a person acting on behalf of or under the auspices of a religious body, may not be compelled—

(a) to allow religious premises to be used as the place at which a ceremony or event is held to mark—

(i) a conversion under—

(aa) this Part or Part 4 or 5, or

(bb) Part 2, 3 or 4 of the 2014 Regulations(1), or

(ii) a change under—

(aa) the Marriage Between Civil Partners (Procedure for Change and Fees) (Scotland) Regulations 2014(2), or

(bb) Part 5 of the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014 and Civil Partnership Act 2004 (Consequential Provisions and Modifications) Order 2014(3), or

(b) to provide, facilitate, arrange, participate in or be present at such a ceremony or event,

where the reason for not doing that thing is that the body or person does not want to do things of that sort in relation to conversions and changes generally, in relation to conversions and changes from civil partnerships into marriages or in relation to conversions and changes from marriages into civil partnerships.

(3) In this regulation—

“compelled” means compelled by any means (including by the enforcement of a contract or a statutory or other legal requirement);

“person acting on behalf of or under the auspices of a religious body” includes any person registered under Article 11, or temporarily authorised under Article 14, of the Marriage (Northern Ireland) Order 2003(4);

“religious body” means an organised group of people meeting regularly for common religious worship;

“religious premises” means premises which—

(a)

are owned, or controlled, by a religious body or a person acting on behalf of or under the auspices of a religious body, and

(b)

are not premises where the sole or main purpose for which they are used is commercial.

(1)

Part 2 of the 2014 Regulations was amended by S.I. 2016/911. Parts 3 and 4 of the 2014 Regulations are extended to Northern Ireland, and amended, by regulation 31 of these Regulations.

(2)

S.S.I. 2014/361.

(3)

S.I. 2014/3229.

(4)

Articles 11 and 14 were amended by S.I. 2020/742, and Article 14 is modified by regulation 15 of these Regulations.