Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

The constitutional referendum on same-sex marriage the Government has announced for 2015 has acquired new and perhaps more urgent dimensions following the recent controversy and outrageous decision of RTE to pay €85,000 to individuals who are opposed to same-sex marriage because of some mild enough remarks made on RTE about the individuals in question by the gay activist, Rory O'Neill. Instead of organising a good and profound debate one or two weeks after the event and inviting the individuals in question and others who are in favour of the rights of people to equality and gay marriage were invited, RTE, without any contest, paid out taxpayers' or licence payers' money.

I put it to the Taoiseach that a referendum is not needed on this issue. I am sure he is aware that in Article 41 of Bunreacht na hÉireann marriage is not defined as being exclusively or in any way limited to heterosexual couples or persons. It is not defined in the way that traditionalists argue that marriage must be, nor in the way it is defined by the Catholic Church and Iona Institute. Many people believe the Government could introduce legislation to deal with this issue without a referendum. Considering that this is such an important human rights and civil rights issue and given that an important section of the population and their friends, families and neighbours feel put upon and oppressed by the existing laws, why does the Taoiseach, in the name of equality and human rights, not move to introduce such legislation?

The Labour Party has indicated it is fully behind same-sex marriage. What is the position of the Fine Gael Party? Given that the Taoiseach will introduce the referendum, I presume he and his party will campaign for it. Why does the Government not move now given that a referendum is not needed and thereby heal the unnecessary wound caused by the exclusion of many people from the rights to which other citizens are entitled simply by reason of their sexual orientation or whatever reasons traditional institutions have for insisting on this denial?

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