Statement: Civil Registration (Amendment) Bill to Enable Legal Humanist Marriage Ceremonies

STATEMENT BY SENATOR IVANA BACIK

Labour Party Seanad leader and Spokesperson on Justice
Wednesday 9th November 2011

CIVIL REGISTRATION (AMENDMENT) BILL TO ENABLE LEGAL HUMANIST MARRIAGE CEREMONIES

During Labour private members' time tomorrow Thursday in the Seanad, SenatorIvana Bacik will introduce the Civil Registration (Amendment) Bill 2011.The purpose of this bill is to amend three sections of the Civil RegistrationAct 2004, to extend the categories of bodies whose members may be licensedto conduct legal civil marriage ceremonies.

Explaining the purpose of the bill, Senator Bacik said,

“Under the 2004 Act, only HSE Registrars and members of ‘religious bodies'may legally celebrate civil marriages. The definition currently containedin the 2004 Act of a body which may apply to have its members licensedto celebrate legal civil marriages excludes members of the Humanist Associationof Ireland, who in practice routinely conduct wedding and funeral ceremonies.

“This technical amending legislation will confer power on the Ministerto designate other bodies like the Humanist Association as capable of applyingto the Chief Registrar to have their members licensed to perform civilmarriages. It will make a real difference to couples who wish to celebratetheir marriage with a Humanist ceremony. Indeed, hundreds of couples inrecent years have arranged their own non-legally recognised Humanist weddingceremonies, and CSO figures show increasing numbers of couples choosingnon-religious civil wedding ceremonies.”

ENDS