CommuNIqué - Newsletter of the Bahá'í Community in Northern Ireland
Issue 77 - 2 Sharaf 159 BE - 1 January 2003 CE

 

EXCITING NEWS

Recognition of Bahá'í marriage in Northern Ireland is coming closer!

The Marriage (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 was laid at Westminster this week. This is the formal process whereby a draft Affirmative Order is presented at both Houses of Parliament in advance of debates being scheduled.

The draft Order reforms and simplifies the law in relation to the formalities for and preliminaries to marriage. It creates a new system of universal civil preliminaries and will afford couples wishing to marry a greater freedom of choice as to the location of the marriage ceremony. It is anticipated that the Order will be debated in Westminster in the coming weeks although its main provisions will not come into force until late 2003 at the earliest in order to allow for operational changes to be made.

The draft Order and Explanatory Memorandum may be found on the Department's website at www.dfpni.gov.uk

Bahá'í Council for Northern Ireland

 

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