David Norris (Independent)

——that it is a perfect Bill, that it is incapable of being amended or that it could not be withdrawn at some stage to be replaced by a better Bill. However, the Government has not made any proposal in this regard.

I am worried because the Government acted against the principles enunciated by the former Minister, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, who said she would require clear and cogent factual evidence to introduce discrimination against any Irish citizen. The Government introduced the savage 16 cutbacks. It acted in the case of a matter that was heard by an equality tribunal that was established by the Government. The tribunal determined that there had been a serious abuse of the rights of a gay couple.