SCHEDULE
Article 3
AMENDMENTS TO THE CIVIL PARTNERSHIP ACT 2004
1. The Civil Partnership Act 2004 is amended as follows.
2.—(1) Section 6 (place of registration) is amended as follows.
(2) For subsection (3) substitute—
“3 Subsections (3A) and (3B) apply in the case of registration under the standard procedure (including that procedure modified as mentioned in section 5).
3A The place must be—
(a) on approved premises, or
(b) in a register office.
3B If it is in a register office, the place must be open to any person wishing to attend the registration.
3C In this Chapter “register office” means a register office provided under section 10 of the Registration Service Act 19532.”.
(3) Subsections (4) and (5) are omitted.
3. After section 6 insert—
“Power to approve premises
6A.—(1) The Chancellor of the Exchequer may by regulations make provision for and in connection with the approval by registration authorities of premises for the purposes of section 6(3A)(a).
(2) The matters dealt with by regulations may include—
(a)
(a) the kind of premises in respect of which approvals may be granted;
(b)
(b) the procedure to be followed in relation to applications for approval;
(c)
(c) the considerations to be taken into account by a registration authority in determining whether to approve any premises;
(d)
(d) the duration and renewal of approvals;
(e)
(e) the conditions that must or may be imposed by a registration authority on granting or renewing an approval;
(f)
(f) the determination and charging by registration authorities of fees in respect of applications for the approval of premises and in respect of the renewal of approvals;
(g)
(g) the circumstances in which a registration authority must or may revoke an approval;
(h)
(h) the review of any decision to refuse an approval or the renewal of an approval, to impose conditions on granting or renewing an approval or to revoke an approval;
(i)
(i) the notification to the Registrar General of all approvals granted, renewed or revoked;
(j)
(j) the keeping by registration authorities of registers of approved premises;
(k)
(k) the issue by the Registrar General of guidance supplementing the provision made by the regulations.
(3) Without prejudice to the width of subsection (2)(e), the Chancellor of the Exchequer must exercise his power to provide for the imposition of conditions as mentioned there so as to secure that members of the public are permitted to attend when two people sign the civil partnership schedule on approved premises in accordance with section 6(3A)(a).”.
4.—(1) Section 8 (notice of proposed civil partnership and declaration) is amended as follows.
(2) For subsection (1) substitute—
“1 For two people to register as civil partners of each other under the standard procedure a notice of proposed civil partnership must be given—
(a) if the proposed civil partners have resided in the area of the same registration authority for the period of 7 days immediately before the giving of the notice, by each of them to that registration authority;
(b) if the proposed civil partners have not resided in the area of the same registration authority for that period, by each of them to the registration authority in whose area he or she has resided for that period.”.
(3) For subsection (4)(b) substitute—
“(b)
“(b) that the proposed civil partners have for the period of 7 days immediately before the giving of the notice had their usual places of residence in the area of the registration authority, or in the areas of the registration authorities, to which notice is given.”.
5.—(1) Section 9(3) (power to require evidence of name etc.) is amended as follows.
(2) In paragraph (c) after “or marriage,” insert “and”.
(3) Paragraph (e) and the “and” immediately before it are omitted.
6.—(1) Section 10 (proposed civil partnership to be publicised) is amended as follows.
(2) In subsection (1) for the words from “the relevant information” to the end substitute “the registration authority must keep the relevant information on public display during the waiting period.”.
(3) In subsection (2)(c) after “information” insert “included in the notice of proposed civil partnership”.
(4) After subsection (2) insert—
“3 All information that a registration authority is required for the time being to keep on public display under subsection (1) must be kept on display by it at one register office provided for a district within its area.”.
7. In section 17 (period during which registration may take place), in subsection (2), for “at any time during the applicable period” substitute “on any day in the applicable period between 8 o'clock in the morning and 6 o'lock in the evening”.
8.—(1) Section 20 (modified procedures for certain non-residents) is amended as follows.
(2) In subsection (1) for “three” substitute “two”.
(3) Subsection (3) is omitted.
(4) In subsection (4)—
(a)
(a) for “third” substitute “second”;
(b)
(b) for the words from “a member” to “United Kingdom” substitute “an officer, seaman or marine borne on the books of one of Her Majesty’s ships at sea.”.
(5) In subsection (5)—
(a)
(a) for paragraph (b) substitute—
“(b)
“(b) B may make the necessary declaration without reference to A’s usual place of residence for any period;”;
(b)
(b) in paragraph (e) for “first and second cases” substitute “first case”.
(6) In subsection (6)—
(a)
(a) paragraph (b) is omitted;
(b)
(b) in paragraph (c) for the words from “a member” to “United Kingdom” substitute “an officer, seaman or marine borne on the books of one of Her Majesty’s ships at sea”.
(7) Subsection (7) is omitted.
9. In section 22 (evidence to be produced), for subsection (2) substitute—
“2 The...
