What action it plans to take in respect of petition PE333 by Charles Douglas on behalf of the Humanist Society of Scotland.

The Scottish Executive responded formally to Justice 2 Committee regarding petition P333 on 26 July 2001. This confirmed that the Scottish Executive do not accept the view expressed by the petitioner that the law regarding the celebration of marriage in Scotland is not compliant with the European Convention on Human Rights. The Scottish Executive response pointed out that there is nothing to prevent a humanist or other ceremony supplementing the legal procedure undertaken by a registrar. In addition, the Scottish Executive undertook to review the position once the then proposed Marriage (Scotland) Bill had been enacted and operational for a suitable period. The new arrangements under the Marriage (Scotland) Act 2002 and associated regulations came fully into effect on 10 June 2002. These permit civil marriages to be carried out by registrars in places that are approved by Scottish local authorities. The Scottish Executive still intend, as was indicated in the response to PE333, to review matters once the 2002 act has been operational for a suitable period.