FOI Ref: FOI/2022/3955
You asked
Please supply the following information:
Marriage
1) How many marriage certificates were issued to couples who got married in the UK in 2019, 2020 and 2021? Please provide the figures for each year, as well as a total for the three years
2) How many marriage ceremonies/weddings took place in the UK in 2019, 2020 and 2021? Please provide the figures for each year, as well as a total for the three years. If you don't have the figure for all weddings please provide them for ones which took place at register offices
3) How many couples due to get married 'gave notice' to their local register office in 2021 and 2022 (up until the date you action this request)? Please provide the figures for each year. Please note: I have asked 'how many couples' but if this is done individually, so if both people in the couple need to give notice, then please give the figures for the individuals
Civil Partnerships
4) How many civil partnership certificates were issued to couples who had a civil partnership in the UK in 2019, 2020 and 2021? Please provide the figures for each year, as well as a total for the three years
4a) Can you also detail how many of these, from the same set of figures you provide, were issued to same-sex couples?
5) How many civil partnership ceremonies took place in the UK in 2019, 2020 and 2021? Please provide the figures for each year, as well as a total for the three years. If you don't have the figure for all ceremonies please provide them for ones which took place at register offices
6) How many couples due to form a civil partnership 'gave notice' to their local register office in 2021 and 2022 (up until the date you action this request)? Please provide the figures for each year. Please note: I have asked 'how many couples' but if this is done individually, so if both people in the couple need to give notice, then please give the figures for the individuals
Marrying abroad
7) Can you provide me with the details of how many couples obtained documents in order for them to get married or form a civil partnership abroad in the years 2019, 2020 and 2021? Please provide the figures for each year, as well as a total for the three years. Please note: I have asked 'how many couples' but if this is done individually, so if both people in the couple need to apply, then please give the figures for the individuals
8) How many couples applied for a Certificate of No Impediment in the years 2020 and 2021? - Please note: I have asked 'how many couples' but if this is done individually, so if both people in the couple need to apply, then please give the figures for the individuals
We said
Thank you for your enquiry.
We are responsible for the production of mortality data for England and Wales, this is driven by information collected from the death certificate at death registration. National Records Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) are responsible for statistics pertaining to Scotland and Northern Ireland. As part of a collaboration, we do publish headline data on marriages and civil partnerships within our Vital statistics in the UK: births, deaths and marriages - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk) publication for the UK. However, as we receive data from other statistical agencies to produce this, we can provide no further disaggregation. The latest data available is 2018. Further information on Scottish and Northern Irish data will need to be obtained from NRS and NISRA. They can be contacted at foi@nrscotland.gov.uk and info@nisra.gov.uk respectively.
Marriages in England and Wales
The latest analysis available is Marriages in England and Wales - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk) for 2018.
Marriage statistics are published two years in arrears. This is a result of delays with registrations and in receiving and collating the data from the various registry offices. Details of civil marriage registrations are collected promptly, as they are recorded on an electronic system. However, the recording of religious marriages is still paper-based and therefore take longer for us to collect. Delays can also be due to closure of churches and changes in the clergy. We wait 2 years to receive as many religious marriage registration records as possible to balance timeliness against completeness of the data.
More information on this delay can be found in our QMI Marriages in England and Wales.
Data for 2019 is due to be published in April 2022.
As such, the information you have requested for 2019 is considered exempt under Section 22(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, whereby information is exempt from release if there is a view to publish the information in the future. Furthermore, as a central government department and producer of official statistics, we need to have the freedom to be able to determine our own publication timetables. This is to allow us to deal with the necessary preparation, administration, and context of publications. It would be unreasonable to consider disclosure when to do so would undermine our functions.
This exemption is subject to a public interest test. We recognise the desirability of information being freely available and this is considered by ONS when publication schedules are set in accordance with the Code of Practice for Statistics. The need for timely data must be balanced against the practicalities of applying statistical skill and judgement to produce the high quality, assured data needed to inform decision-making. If this balance is incorrectly applied, then we run the risk of decisions being based on inaccurate data which is arguably not in the public interest. This will have an impact on public trust in official statistics in a time when accuracy of official statistics is more important to the public than ever before.
Civil Partnerships
The latest analysis for Civil Partnerships is Civil partnerships in England and Wales - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk) which holds 2020 data. 2019 data is available in the previous versions tab.
This publication includes a breakdown of opposite sex and same sex civil partnerships.
In table 8a and 8b of this dataset, we provide area of occurrence, and this covers registry offices and elsewhere.
We do not hold data on the number of couples who gave notice, as we only receive registrations of Civil Partnerships, not the notifications.
Data for 2021 will be published in late 2022.
As such, this information for 2021 is also exempt under Section 22(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
The General Registry Office would be better placed to assist with notifications of Civil Partnerships
Marriages abroad
We do not hold data on marriages that take place abroad, including the issue of the certificate of no impediment.
Your local register office may be able to assist with enquiries regarding certificate of no impediment.
For further information about this request, please contact Health.Data@ons.gov.uk.