The Civil Partnership (Opposite-sex Couples) Regulations 2019

Protection against compulsion in relation to religious involvement in civil partnership

9.—(1) The Civil Partnership Act 2004 is amended as follows.

(2) In section 6A(1), omit subsection (3A).

(3) After section 30 insert—

“Religious involvement: protection against compulsion

30ZA.— (1) A protected person may not be compelled by any means (including by the enforcement of a contract or a statutory or other legal requirement) to—

(a) seek or consent to the approval of religious premises for the purposes of section 6(3A)(a)(2),

(b) allow religious premises to be used as the place at which two people register as civil partners of each other under this Part, or

(c) provide, arrange, facilitate, participate in, or be present at—

(i) an occasion during which two people register as civil partners of each other on religious premises under this Part, or

(ii) a ceremony or event in England or Wales to mark the formation of a civil partnership,

where the person does not wish to do things of that sort in relation to civil partnerships generally, or those between two people of the same sex, or those between two people of the opposite sex.

(2) In this section—

“protected person” means—

(a)

a religious organisation,

(b)

a constituent body or part of a religious organisation, or

(c)

a person acting on behalf of, or under the auspices of, such an organisation, body or part,

but does not include a civil partnership registrar;

“religious premises” has the meaning given by section 6A(3C).”.

(1)

Section 6A was inserted by S.I. 2005/2000 and amended by S.I. 2008/678 and the Equality Act 2010, section 202(3) and 4.

(2)

Section 6(3)-(3C) was substituted for section 6(3) by S.I. 2005/2000.