Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)

While I may not have mentioned it earlier, I should state officially that Fine Gael supports this Bill. As for some of the amendments under consideration, it is useful to have laid out the particular criteria in amendment No. 1 that could be drawn down by any other group in the future. That is helpful because it means Members will not be obliged to draw up another amendment subsequently. Amendment No. 2 tabled by Senator Mooney, which specifically names the Humanist Association of Ireland, also is useful because historically, this marks a special moment as the point at which it will be able to confer legal status on the marriages the association wishes to carry out. I have one or two questions with regard to amendment No. 1, which proposes to include the phrase, "these marriages have been solemnised by a registrar and registered in the register of marriages". Which registrar is being referred to in this regard and, for example, does it refer to the civil register? My second questions pertains to a phrase that recurs throughout the Bill, namely, "'body' means the Executive or a religious body or a philosophical and nonconfessional body". While I understand fully that the Humanist Association of Ireland is a philosophical body, what exactly is meant by a non-confessional body? While all Members are aware of the connotations associated with the word "confession", the term "nonconfessional body" is interesting.

In response to the remarks of Senator Walsh, regardless of whether one ends up with a marriage that is Catholic, civil or humanist, marriage is not simple. When a couple decide to get married and have children together, there is no magic bullet to ensure that even with all their best efforts and all the best will in the world, the marriage always will succeed. One must be careful because the term, "broken marriage" can be dangerous. I know of marriages that have split up in which the families are better for it and I often have heard that a bad marriage is no good for the children. The Senator made a good point about how mediation and counselling can be helpful, with which I agree. He is aware such services are available at present for those who can afford it but in the context of this debate, does the Senator propose a State structure of mediation and counselling to assist people to work through their marriages? The Minister, Deputy Burton, also may wish to comment on that point, given her brief on social protection and the various allowances and schemes that exist to assist one parent families in various circumstances. Ultimately, this debate has been highly interesting because Members are discussing the type of Ireland they desire. Is it an Ireland in which, once one decides to get married, one will be supported in remaining married, if this is what one absolutely wishes to do, for the sake of the couple and the children? Should the State have a role in this regard? This is the question now being asked when there is evidence to suggest this would be the better thing for society and the Bill has opened up a very broad debate.