Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)

We support the principle of equality through giving legal recognition to same sex unions. We supported it while in opposition and it was included at our insistence in the programme for Government agreed on 13 June. Since the resumption of Government business in the past two months, the Green Party has been in consultation with our Government partners, in particular the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy Brian Lenihan, to progress the issue. We have been working hard behind the scenes for the past two months.

This is an important occasion because for the first time in the State's history the first legal steps are being taken to accord legal recognition to thousands, if not tens of thousands, of people previously ignored by official Ireland.

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