Overview

This bill proposes raising the minimum age for marriage and civil partnerships in England and Wales to 18. Currently, exceptions exist allowing individuals younger than 18 to marry with parental consent. This bill aims to eliminate these exceptions, ensuring a consistent minimum age of 18 for all.

Description

The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Bill seeks to amend existing legislation to achieve a uniform minimum age of 18 for marriage and civil partnerships in England and Wales. Specifically:

• Marriage Act 1949: The bill amends Section 2, replacing "sixteen" with "eighteen" as the minimum age. Section 3, which addresses marriages of those under 21, will be removed.
• Civil Partnership Act 2004: The bill alters Section 3, substituting "18" for "16" as the minimum age for civil partnerships. Section 4, covering parental consent for civil partnerships involving those under 18, will also be removed. Several other related sections and schedules in the 2004 Act will be repealed to ensure consistency.

The bill will come into effect two months after it receives parliamentary approval and applies only to England and Wales.

Government Spending

The bill is not expected to have a significant impact on government spending. The main cost will likely be associated with the administrative changes required to update legislation and processes related to marriage and civil partnership registration.

Groups Affected

• Children under 18: This bill will directly affect those under 18 who may have been considering marriage or civil partnership. They will no longer be able to enter into these unions.
• Parents: The bill removes the option for parents to consent to the marriage or civil partnership of their children under 18.
• Religious organizations: Religious groups that perform marriages may need to adapt their practices to comply with the new minimum age.
• Government agencies: Agencies responsible for registering marriages and civil partnerships will need to update their procedures to reflect the new law.

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