Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)

The Oireachtas is a separate arm, but in any case Article 26 of the Constitution gives a further right to the President if we pass something about which there is constitutional doubt to send it to the Supreme Court. The Minister was advocating something cowardly and something quite incremental. The choice in Deputy Howlin's Bill is not a false choice between incrementalism that is deceitful or a confrontation with the Constitution on the definition of marriage. It is about civil union. If we have civil union in place, then we move on to all of the other areas.

I welcome every advance that is made of an incremental kind, but I also note the reverses. Regarding free fuel, for example, if one is not a spouse one can be left cold. The cold times should be over in Ireland and we should not evolve towards anything. We should be leaping into a new era of rights where this is the first fundamental step.

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