Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The last point made by Deputy McNamara regarding the solemniser is a serious one and I would not like to see that being diluted. Now that we have almost passed this marriage equality legislation, there may be other changes to marriage that Deputies have in mind. The point made by the Deputy is one we must look at in the context of all the contributions to this debate. How marriage is celebrated and solemnised requires further debate. I know from speaking to registrars about this issue that it may boil down to resources. The Minister said she has already spoken to the Minister for Social Protection. The HSE, the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Justice and Equality are the three organs of State which must move on this. Deputy Shatter is right that it should be possible to have marriages at 3 p.m., 7 p.m., on a Saturday or Sunday or whatever. We have moved on from the old approach to marriage, where it depended on when the priest was available in the case of church marriages or whatever slot was available in the registry office. We must have a wider discussion about how we can perform marriage celebrations for couples. I hope we can be creative and come up with a solution to what is a first world problem on one level, given that the success of the referendum now presents people with the option of getting married which they did not have before. I hope the Departments will have a conversation about how we can change the times available. We have already made changes with regard to venues and can make further changes once the will exists. I know the Minister has the will and I hope the Departments will work together on this issue.

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