Civil and Non-Anglican Weddings and Civil Partnerships: Increase in fees

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A decision made on 26 November 2015:

Decision Reference: MD-HA-2015-0072
Decision Summary Title:	Increase in fees		Date of Decision Summary:	3 November 2015
Decision Summary Author:	Liz Middleton Finance Director		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt?	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:	n/a
Written Report Title:	Proposed increase to fees 2016		Date of Written Report:	20 October 2015
Written Report Author:	Superintendent Registrar		Written Report : Public or Exempt?	Public
Subject: Increase in fees payable for the arrangement of civil and non-Anglican weddings and civil partnerships.
Decision(s): The Minister: approved the increase in fees payable for the arrangement of civil and non-Anglican weddings and civil partnerships as detailed in the accompanying report and spreadsheet, subject to the approval of the Treasurer of the States; requested the Superintendent Registrar to liaise with the Law Draftsman over the drafting of the relevant Order to give effect to the fee increase.
Reason(s) for Decision: For the past six years the Superintendent Registrar has sought a triennial increase in the fees charged, rather than increase fees annually by the cost of living. The increases produce figures that are manageable monetary units i.e. increases of £5 or £10, mindful that the Office accepts many fees by cash or cheques.
Resource Implications: None other than those detailed in the accompanying report and spreadsheet.
Actions required: The Finance Director to seek approval of the Treasurer of the States. The Superintendent Registrar to request that the Law Draftsman prepares the relevant Order to give effect to the fee increase.
Signature:		Position: Assistant Minister for Home Affairs
Date Signed:		Date of Decision (If different from Date Signed):

Civil and Non-Anglican Weddings and Civil Partnerships: Increase in fees

Marriage and Civil Status (Forms, Registration and Fees) Order 2002 and the Civil Partnership (Forms, Registration and Fees) Order 2012

Proposed increases to fees 2016

Schedule 6 and Schedule 3 of the respective orders prescribe the fees paid to the Office of the Superintendent Registrar and to the Parish Registrars. These are principally for the arrangement of civil and non-Anglican weddings and civil partnerships in the Island but include fees associated with the registration of births and deaths, and searches of the registers held at the office. The fees associated with ceremonies (both weddings and civil partnerships) were last increased with effect from 1 January 2014.

It has been the usual practice of the Office of the Superintendent to seek a triennial increase in the fees charged rather than seek an annual cost-of-living increase. These triennial increases in fees were designed not only help to contribute to the costs of the Superintendent Registrar but also produce figures that are manageable monetary units (increases of £5 or £10).

In 2014, there was an increase to the majority of the fees in the schedule including the amount of money paid to a delegate of the Superintendent for the celebration of a civil ceremony (the first increase in their pay since their role had been introduced in 2002). The cost of a certificate was retained at £20 in 2014 because of an increased demand for birth and marriage certificates in 2013, the result of newly introduced legislation (most particularly the Control of Housing and Work (Jersey) Law 2012). This increased demand levelled off in the course of 2014 and 2015.

The Office of the Superintendent Registrar is required to make its contribution towards balancing the Consolidated Fund by 2019. The increase in fees is the first phase of moving the Office of the Superintendent Registrar to full cost recovery as part of the Public Sector Reform programme.

With limited capacity to pare an already small budget and as a service prey to the vagaries of demand [1], it is proposed that the certificate fee should be increased to £25 in 2016 together with a slight increase to a number of other fees as detailed on the attached spreadsheet in order to be able to continue to provide a statutory service for the people of the Island.

Sue Groves

Superintendent Registrar

20 October 2016

[1] Numbers of weddings in 2012 were 540; 484 in 2013, 523 in 2014. Figures for 2015 look likely to be lower than in 2014; end of Q3 2015, the number of wedding notices taken was 12 lower than for the same period in 2014 and this had increased to 15 lower year on year on 20 October 2014 .