Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Yes I am committed to them. I fully accept that for a long time the definition of marriage was too restrictive in the context of the understanding of that article. Many legal people might have a different perspective legally on that but I am very clear that the family is a very broad concept as far as I am concerned. I look at it in the broadest way. I am very committed to changing that.

As I said earlier, where we are now is the method by which we arrive at a proposal to go before the people. I understand that this committee has done an interim report and that there is to be a fuller report. I have put forward the idea that we need to do something more specific on these three. I referred to the three areas in my contribution earlier, but not in the formal speech, and that we would deal with these areas as identified by this committee. The committee has already come forward with proposed amendments to them. The Senator has said that they may need further work. It is just a methodology by which we do this now. I favour achieving as great a consensus as we possibly can, although there will not be unanimity on this, before it comes to the Executive. Then we will go to the people with the wording.