Minister for Faith Baroness Warsi has written to the Culture Secretary Maria Miller, asking for clarification on the protection for churches and other places of worship if they refuse to conduct same-sex marriages.
She has also asked what legal support will be available for religious leaders who find themselves the subject of a legal challenge if they refuse to do so and what legal advice the Government has sought about the compatibility of its plans with UK and European Law.
Saying that she has received a large volume of calls on the subject, Lady Warsi also asked Mrs Miller about how the Government’s proposals would impact on protection for religious freedom and the teaching of same-sex marriage in schools.
However, the Government says that it has already answered these questions and stressed that education guidance would not change, nor would any religious organisation or individual minister be compelled to marry a same-sex couple; indeed, the Church of England and the Church in Wales will be legally barred from offering such marriages, although other religious organisations will be able to “opt in” if they want to.
When Mrs Miller announced on Tuesday that the Government wanted to introduce same-sex marriages in England and Wales before 2015, she also promised a “quadruple lock” to protect religious freedom.
The second two “locks” are that the Equality Act 2010 will be amended to reflect that no discrimination claims can be brought against religious organisations or individual ministers for refusing to marry a same-sex couple.
It will also be ensured that legislation will not affect the canon law of the Church of England or the Church in Wales. As a result, if either church wanted to conduct a same-sex marriage, it would require a change to primary legislation at a later date and a change to canon law.