Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will respond to Senator Walsh by saying the answer is "Yes." That clearly is the intention of the Bill. That is the meaning of the Bill, as I have made clear. The Bill could not be more clear in this regard, as it states "Nothing in this Act or any other enactment shall be construed as obliging ... a religious body to recognise a particular form of marriage ceremony for the purposes of section 51(3)(c) of the Act of 2004." Consequently, there is no attempt whatsoever, nor could there be from a constitutional perspective, to introduce that kind of obligation. Members should remember that Article 44.5 also allows religious bodies to manage their own affairs. The Bill has been drafted specifically in the context of Article 44.5-----