John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

On behalf of the Green Party, I convey my deep personal appreciation to the Minister, Deputy Dermot Ahern, for the work he has done. I am very much aware from this week's events that certain issues can cause difficulty for one's partner in government. I was aware from the negotiations we conducted on the programme for Government that this was always going to be a difficult issue. Where there are disagreements between partners in government, it is easier to be in the smaller party. That is not often appreciated, so I take this opportunity to thank the Minister for his courage in pushing this through even though it will cause difficulties for some Members of the Seanad.

All of us here have a tolerance for other people's personal views. We must do so if we are to be a tolerant society. This Bill is an act of tolerance and equality. What we are saying is that this is a step forward on the right road; it is not the whole picture. We must remember the fight for equality is always protracted. One need only recall the days of the suffragettes, which is not that long ago, whose first achievement was to secure the vote for women aged 30 years and over, before moving on from there. We can now move onward from this Bill. I support full marriage equality; that is and always has been the passionate belief of my party. We will continue to strive for that and I hope at some stage we can have a referendum.

This is truly an historic day. It is a joyous day for so many same-sex couples throughout the country. I convey my thanks to the organisations which campaigned so hard for this, including the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network, Marriage Equality, LGBT Ireland and others. I also thank Opposition Members for their contributions. It is always good to have a thorough debate so that we can tease out the issues, which has happened on this occasion.

It has been a good day for the Government. I thank my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Cuffe, for the way in which he steered the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009, a very important item of legislation, through the House earlier today. Tonight we have passed another important Bill. Members can be assured that in the coming days further legislation from the renewed programme for Government will go through this House. That is a sign of real progress. It is not just about the Executive; it is also about Members opposite making a contribution.

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