Deregulation Act 2015

99 Information contained in entries of marriages and civil partnerships

(1) After section 65 of the Marriage Act 1949 (searches of indexes kept by Registrar General) insert—

“65A Searches and records of information: additional provision

(1) The Secretary of State may make regulations for the purpose of enabling the Registrar General—

(a) to carry out, on request, a search to find out whether the Registrar General’s certified copies contain a particular entry;

(b) to provide, on request, a record of information contained in an entry in the Registrar General’s certified copies, otherwise than in the form of a certified copy.

(2) The regulations may authorise or require the Registrar General to charge a fee of an amount specified in the regulations for carrying out a search or providing a record.

(3) The regulations may make provision—

(a) as to how a request for a search or a record may be made;

(b) as to the forms in which a record may be provided.

(4) The provision that may be made in the regulations includes provision for a record to be provided in a form that does not include all of the information contained in an entry.

(5) Before making regulations under this section, the Secretary of State must consult the Registrar General.

(6) Regulations under this section are to be made by statutory instrument.

(7) A statutory instrument containing regulations under this section is subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.

(8) This section does not affect the entitlement of any person to a certified copy of an entry in the Registrar General’s certified copies.

(9) In this section, “the Registrar General’s certified copies” means the certified copies of entries in marriage register books sent to the Registrar General under this Part of this Act and kept in the General Register Office.”

(2) In section 36 of the Civil Partnership Act 2004 (regulations and orders), in subsection (2), after paragraph (f) insert—

“(g) for the carrying out by the Registrar General, on request, of searches of entries in the register and the provision, on request, of information contained in the entries (otherwise than in the form of certified copies).”

(3) In section 9 of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 (conversion of civil partnership into marriage), in subsection (5), after paragraph (b) insert—

“(ba) the carrying out, on request, of searches of any information recorded and the provision, on request, of records of any information recorded (otherwise than in the form of certified copies);”.