Bill heralding gay civil unions set to be published Sunday, June 21, 2009 By Niamh Connolly Political Correspondent Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern told The Sunday Business Post that he would soon seek cabinet approval for the bill, which will also extend legal rights and protections to same sex couples in the area of inheritance, tax and pension entitlements.
The commitment to civil partnership rights was included in the Programme for Government under pressure from the Green Party. However, there was concern that the legislation had drifted, and the party pressed for its inclusion in the forthcoming review of the programme.
Ahern said that the commitment to give state recognition and protection to civil partnership was a key part of the programme.
This commitment, he said, would be ‘‘implemented in full through the forthcoming Civil Partnership Bill, which I will publish within weeks’’.
The bill is expected to go second stage debate in the Dáil in the autumn, and will be enacted by the end of the year.
The legislation will allow same-sex couples over the age of 18 to enter into legal partnerships, provided they give three months’ notice of their intention. This means that the state’s first same-sex civil ceremonies could take place early next year.
Some sections of the gay community have criticised the legislation as not going far enough, as it does not make it legal for same-sex couples to marry or adopt children.
Sources said the government had to balance its commitment to reform against concerns expressed by some in Fianna Fáil, that the legislation could pose a threat to the ‘‘special status’’ of heterosexual marriage under the constitution. Green Party whip Ciaran Cuffe, who had pressed for the introduction of the bill, welcomed the move, saying it was an important aspect of his party’s social agenda. He said the Greens ‘‘supported full equality and it’s a goal we’ll continue to pursue’’.
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