Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

We have waited a long time to speak on this Bill in the House, as it is a policy issue that has been discussed at length since this Government was formed four years ago. There has been divided opinion about the merits of the legislation, because there is divided opinion in the country as a whole as to what this legislation will mean for family life in Ireland. The Bill recognises the reality of Irish family life as it currently stands. It takes the cases of families across the island and attempts to put the best interests of children at the heart of the legislation. It might suit some people to forget that one in four families in Ireland do not consist of a married mother and father with children; they are a blend of all family types. We cannot ignore such families, and I know the Minister knows that. I agree with her comments that the best interest of the child is the golden thread running through this Bill. This holds the Bill together.

Ministers and their civil servants have drafted very forward-looking and comprehensive legislation. Many of the speeches from the Opposition have centred not on the merits or demerits of the legislation but on the amount of time we expect to spend debating the legislation. That is just shadow boxing because, over the past four years, we have introduced reforms in how we deal with legislation. For example, the heads of this Bill went through a public consultation process with the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality, which held in-depth hearings that were far-reaching and thorough. There were 38 submissions received by the committee from various interest groups and individuals and, as a result, a report was submitted to the Department in order that the conclusions could be included in the final text of the Bill.

The legislative reform we introduced helps to produce better-quality legislation due to the time and effort a committee can put into teasing out the issues in a legislative measure.

The Bill recognises lone-parent families, blended families and same-sex couple households, or households headed up by grandparents or other relatives. This is very positive and reflects the Ireland of today. It tells children in non-traditional families that they are in households in which they have the same right to be cared for, listened to and nurtured as children in any other family. That is also positive.

Concerns have been expressed about adoption and what this Bill will mean for that process. The adoption process is about what is best for the child and nothing else. Politicians are not social workers. It is not for us to make the best call in cases in which children are being placed into foster or adoptive homes. That is the work of social services, and that is where the experts are. These people are trained to deal with those decisions, and they are best left to them.

One of the other provisions of the Bill allows for cohabitant partners, one of whom is not the biological parent of a child, to be officially recognised as parents by the State. The legislation sets a minimum period of three years of cohabitation with the partner and child for that to happen. It is very likely that after three years the child would be calling the parent "Mum" or "Dad" anyway, so it is fitting that the State should recognise this. There is no issue with that.

Undoubtedly, there will be time to tease out the issues relating to this legislation on Committee Stage. I commend the Minister's work on this and we all support her in it. We hope to see the legislation passed as soon as possible.

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