Clause 4

by deleting subsection (1) and substituting the following subsection:“(1) The Minister may, if he thinks fit, dispense with the giving of notice and with the issue of a marriage licence, and may grant a special marriage licence in the prescribed form authorising the solemnization of a marriage between the parties named —

upon proof being made to him by statutory declaration —

that there is no lawful impediment to the proposed marriage; and

where any party to the proposed marriage is a person to whom section 17A applies, that both parties to the proposed marriage have attended and completed a marriage preparation programme;

where one party to the proposed marriage has been previously married but is divorced, upon a statutory declaration being furnished by the party as to whether that party owes any arrears in respect of any maintenance which is payable under a maintenance order; and

upon his being satisfied that the necessary consent, if any, to the marriage has been obtained, or that the consent has been dispensed with or given under section 13.”; and

by inserting, immediately after subsection (4), the following subsection:“(5) In this section, “maintenance order” has the same meaning as in section 17(4).”.