Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Fianna Fáil supports the Bill and will not oppose any of the amendments that have been tabled. I seek clarification on one point in regard to the legislation that would follow a successful referendum. The Bill proposes that a couple seeking a divorce will be required to have lived apart for two of the previous three years. The Minister and I and probably all other Members of the House will have encountered cases involving marriages which have tragically broken down with no chance of reconciliation, but involving a couple who cannot afford to live apart due to financial pressures. The couple are living separate lives and might as well be living five, ten or 20 miles away from each other, but for financial reasons they are, essentially, trapped in the same house. What is the view of the Government on that issue? Will it propose clauses to address it? Will consideration be given to situations where it could be proven by way of verifiable facts presented to the appropriate officer or court that the couple involved would be living apart for the two-year period if they could afford to so do? Will such situations be accounted for?

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