Eugene Regan (Fine Gael)

The Minister has not spoken to the amendments. He has given a blanket rejection of any provisions in the Bill for the protection of children of same-sex relationships. He refers to careful constitutional balance. I do not quite get the point he is making. What the Minister said is that the design of the Bill is to deal with the relationship between adults, and the line he takes is that this does not conflict with the Constitution. However, he suggests that to provide any protection for the children of those relationships would be, in effect, unconstitutional, if I understand him correctly. I cannot fathom the premise, the basis or the logic of the argument which is being advanced.

The Minister said that this matter will be examined by the Law Reform Commission in a wider context. What he might confirm, perhaps, is whether he is happy that the chairperson of the Law Reform Commission is and will be objective in carrying out her duties, because it has been suggested by a Senator that she is not objective. That would be an important point to clarify.