Clause 25 - Sections 18 to 21: marriage exception
Sexual Offences Bill [Lords]
3:45 pm
Ms Harriet Harman (Solicitor General, Law Officers' Department; Camberwell and Peckham, Labour)
If the hon. Lady's point is that there is discrimination in relation to the marriage exemption, she is right. It is discriminatory—it discriminates between those from a different country who had a lawful marriage there and came to this country, and those from this country. That is the whole point of the marriage exemption. It is available to foreign nationals but not to those domiciled here who have a lawful marriage according to the laws of this country. I hope that we will not go back into the marriage exemption.