Dublin West Greens celebrate passage of Civil Partnership Bill
Dublin West Green Party representative, Roderic O’Gorman has welcomed the passage of the Civil Partnership Act as a major milestone for equality in Ireland.
“I am thrilled to see the passage of the Civil Partnership Act through the Dail and Seanad and being sent to the President for her signature. The new law will for the very first time recognise same-sex couples and give them a range of rights and responsibilities in areas such as taxation, inheritance, family property and domestic violence legislation. It will also give certain protections to both heterosexual and same-sex couples outside of marriage or civil partnership, if these relationships break down”, stated Roderic O’Gorman.
“While some aspects of the debate on this bill have been contentious, I believe that the vast majority of the public understand that the legal recognition of same-sex relationships is something that is long overdue. This bill has been a priority for the Green Party in Government and we have worked along with the Minister for Justice and the Attorney General to ensure that it gives the maximum amount of protection possible, within the constraints of the Constitution”.
“The taxation and social welfare provisions for same-sex couples will be finalised in the Finance Act after the Budget. This means that we can expect to see the first civil partnership ceremonies early 2011”, concluded Roderic O’Gorman.
Ends
