Responses to Civil Partnership:A framework for the legal recognition ...

The Registration ProcessQ. How will you protect same-sex couples from registration officers whodisapprove of civil partnerships and might offer an inferior service?A. There would be a legal requirement on registration officers to provide themeans to register a civil partnership and this would have to be provided tothe same high standards as for other statutory services.Q. What about those registration officers who would hold a principled and moralobjection to conducting a civil partnership registration? Will they be forced toconduct registrations?A. Registration officers would be under a statutory duty to provide a civilpartnership registration service.Q. Why can’t we have a ceremony?A. The legal requirements of civil partnership registration are likely to involvegiving notice of intention to register, meeting the eligibility requirementsand signing the civil partnership register in the presence of a registrationofficer and two witnesses. Same-sex couples could arrange a ceremony inaddition if they wish, but this would not be legally required. Responses tothe consultation suggest that some couples do want a ceremony andother couples don’t. Local authorities would gain responsibility forproviding the registration service. Local authorities would be free to offera ceremony on the day of registration if they so wish. Whether aceremony is held would be a decision for both the local authority and thecouple.The Government has no desire to restrict unnecessarily individuals’freedom to celebrate the registration of their civil partnership.34