Official Report: Minutes of Evidence

The Chairperson (Mr O'Toole): We will consider some papers. I presume that everyone is happy that Hansard records this session. In your meeting pack, there is a convention rights memorandum on the Marriage and Civil Partnership Bill that sets out clauses or provisions of schedules to the Bill that call for particular scrutiny by the Committee. The advice is that minor elucidation may need to be sought from the Department on how several provisions will operate in practice, but none raise particular concerns as regards compatibility with the convention. Article 2(1) of the Windsor framework is not engaged by the Bill.

If members are agreed, we will add that to the evidence base for the Committee report on the Bill. If members are content, I think that we should ask the Department some additional questions, because there are a few additional technical points for us to raise with it.

Members, I refer you to the responses from various Committees, and they will be added to the Committee report on the Bill. We also have the Hansard transcript of deliberations on the Committee Stage of the Marriage and Civil Partnership Bill. That will be added, too.