Clause 39 - Polygamous marriages
Tax Credits Bill
4:30 pm
Ms Dawn Primarolo (Paymaster General, HM Treasury; Bristol South, Labour)
I do not think that I am going to get away with saying that the Conservative Government, which the hon. Gentleman supported, introduced the provisions into social security legislation and that it is now necessary to carry them forward because the Tax Credits Bill is not reliant on or cross-referenced to social security legislation. However, such a provision was and is part of income support and family credit.
I would like to quit while I am ahead and say that the previous Government thought this up, but I do not think that I can leave it at that. It is provided for in regulations in this way because that is how the previous Government did it. I know that I am picking and choosing, but it seemed right to follow the recommendations of the hon. Member for Northavon and on this occasion I decided that if something was not broken, we should not mend it.
Speaking seriously, the clause allows the new tax credits to cater for the rare cases—I stress that they are very rare—in which the claimants are party to a polygamous marriage. The practice of making provision in United Kingdom law to recognise polygamous marriages legally entered into abroad is long established in the UK. I assure the hon. Gentleman that I have checked that to make sure—