Commentary Part 1 – Marriage Overview Section 12: Persons who may solemnise marriage
69.Section 12 of the Act makes amendments to the 1977 Act for several different purposes.
70.Firstly, section 8 of the 1977 Act makes provision on who is authorised to solemnise marriage. This is amended so its current provisions apply to authorisations for opposite sex marriage only.
71.Secondly, section 12 of the Act amends section 8 of the 1977 Act to allow celebrants from belief bodies to be authorised to solemnise marriages. Subsection (4) amends the existing definition of “religious body” in section 26 of the 1977 Act so that it covers belief bodies as well. The relevant aspects of the amended definition in relation to belief bodies are “an organised group of people …the principal object (or one of the principal objects) of which is to uphold or promote philosophical beliefs and which meets regularly for that purpose.”
72.Religious bodies can be prescribed under section 8 of the 1977 Act. The section is amended so that religious or belief bodies can be prescribed under this section. The effect of prescribing religious or belief bodies is that their celebrants and other persons recognised by them as entitled to solemnise opposite sex marriage can solemnise opposite sex marriages recognised by the state.
73.Thirdly, the new section 8(1A) of the 1977 Act, inserted by subsection (2)(b), provides that the Scottish Ministers may only prescribe a religious or belief body so that its celebrants are authorised to solemnise opposite sex marriage if the body requests this and if Ministers are satisfied that the body meets the “qualifying requirements”. Qualifying requirements are those set out in regulations made by the Scottish Ministers. These regulations are subject to the negative parliamentary procedure (new section 8(1G) refers).
74.Fourthly, section 12 of the Act adds a number of provisions to section 8 of the 1977 Act to allow celebrants (of religious and belief bodies) to be authorised to solemnise same sex marriage. The new section 8(1B) of the 1977 Act, inserted by subsection (2)(b), provides who may solemnise a same sex marriage. The new section 8(1C) provides that the Scottish Ministers may only prescribe a religious or belief body so that its celebrants are authorised to solemnise same sex marriage if the body requests this and if Ministers are satisfied that the body meets the “qualifying requirements”.
75.Fifthly, the new section 8(1D) provides that nothing in subsection (1B)(a) or (1C)(a):