“It is a stark failure of political nerve by the government to propose an Amendment that effectively buries the Labour Party Civil Unions Bill. This was a unique opportunity for the Oireachtas to legislate for equality for gay couples now, but which has been dismissed by the Government” says Kieran Rose, Chair of GLEN, the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network.

The Governments’ Amendment postpones the second reading of the Civil Unions Bill for six months, by which time the Dail will have been dissolved.

“The Amendment ignores and misrepresents the key recommendations of the government’s own Working Group on Domestic Partnership (The Colley Report)” continued Rose. “Furthermore, this issue has been debated intensively by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution and the Law Reform Commission.”

“Lack of Civil Union laws seriously impacts on gay couples in their daily lives causing significant hardships. The Government had an obligation to deal with these issuest responsibly, not to dismiss it in a political sleight of hand.

Even at this late stage, GLEN calls on the government to withdraw it’s Amendment and allow the Civil Unions Bill to pass Second Stage and to be discussed in detail at the Committee Stage.

For further information please contact Eoin Collins (087) 9273341 or Kieran Rose (086) 8151310 of Adam Long (087) 1318534