Averil Power (Fianna Fail)

I, too, support Senator Zappone's amendment and hope the Minister will take it on board. The recently enacted Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010 provided the general foundation in this regard. The tax rights and responsibilities in this regard are dealt within in the Finance (No. 3) Bill 2011. The issue of immigration is the one area remaining to be addressed. I have not had time to examine in detail the other amendments proposed by Senator Zappone in regard to the other two changes that may be considered in the Dáil but they sound eminently reasonable. I hope the Minister will also take them on board.

Addressing civil partnership issues was one of the biggest achievements of the previous Government. I accept what Senator Zappone had to say in regard to true equality. I am committed to full marriage equality and it does not represent true equality to me either. However, I believe that legislation is an important stepping stone. In that regard, we should ensure that all the rights contained within that legislation are implemented as soon as possible. I hope the Minister can take on board the amendments proposed by Senator Zappone. Our aim in this House is to assist him in ensuring that the immigration issue is addressed now rather than in future legislation.