The Civil Unions Bill seems destined to suffer an almost identical fate once more, as the Government have tabled an amendment once again, this time delaying it to “the earliest possible date” instead of by 6 months:
“Amendment: 1. To delete all words after “Dáil Éireann” and substitute the following: “notes: — that legislative reform must be fully consistent with the relevant provisions of the Constitution; — the options identified by the Colley Group, including in particular for same-sex couples; — the Tenth Report of the All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution, on the Family, which recommended that civil partnership legislation should be provided for same-sex couples; — the report of the Law Reform Commission on the Rights and Duties of Cohabitants, which recommended provision of a redress mechanism for vulnerable dependent cohabitants at the termination of a relationship; and — the Government’s decision reflected in the Government Legislative Programme published on 27th September, 2007 to prepare a scheme of a Bill; supports the commitment in the Agreed Programme for Government to legislate for Civil Partnership at the earliest possible date in the lifetime of the Government, so as to establish a supportive legal framework for same-sex couples in committed relationships.”It’s going to be another depressing evening for LGBT activists tonight.
