Friday, August 27, 2004
Registrars and Civil Marriages Debate
A link to a transcript of Steve Pound's speech in the Registrars and Civil Marriages debate (Thursday 13th May 2004).
An extract:
Sham or bogus marriages are entered into by coercion, threats, bribes or other mechanisms, almost entirely for the purpose of remaining in the United Kingdom when all normal citizenship application mechanisms have failed. The problem is especially prevalent in London and the south-east, but it is certainly not unique to our part of the world. In fact, of the 80,000 ceremonies conducted annually, the Society of Registration Officers, the professional body that represents registrars throughout England and Wales—I am delighted that its patron, my hon. Friend the Member for Bolton, South-East (Dr. Iddon) is here today and can attest to the scale of the problem—estimates that one in five marriages celebrated, if that is the word, in a register office are bogus.
# posted by hiccuping @ 9:56 AM 
