James Bannon (Fine Gael)

The Minister of State has not allayed my fears about discrimination. It is illegal to discriminate against a person on the grounds of sexual orientation. Sisters, brothers and other members of a family frequently live together, yet such circumstances are not provided for in the legislation, which specifically refers to "husband and wife". It would be a simple matter to use the word "partners", which would cover all relationships. Given our equality legislation, it will be difficult for the Minister of State to explain his stance on this issue in future.