Tim Loughton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2014-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which hon. Members he consulted about the consultation on extension of civil partnerships to opposite sex couples.

Mrs Helen Grant

On 23 January 2014, when the consultation document was published, I made a Ministerial Written Statement to bring it to the attention of honourable members. This statement was repeated in the House of Lords, by my colleague, Baroness Northover. The publication of the consultation was also announced on the Culture, Media and Sport website. DCMS officials directly contacted around 50 organisations with an interest in the issues and asked other Departments to do the same. Officials also offered meetings to the principal stakeholders, several of which took up the offer, and emailed more than 1300 organisations and individuals who had registered an interest in receiving updates on equal marriage or related issues and highlighted the consultation in the February edition of the Women’s Engagement Newsletter, which is circulated to more than 2000 organisations and individuals.