Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I can see where the Senator is coming from. As he knows, the registration of marriages is governed by Part 6 of the Civil Registration Act 2004. The marriage provisions regulations commenced on 5 November 2007, replacing legislation which dated back to 1844. The main changes were the requirement for all couples to give notice in person of their intention to marry, the introduction of common preliminaries for all marriages and a choice of venue for civil marriages. I will take on board the Senator's legitimate views and convey them to the Minister. I will ask her to look at them, but I cannot guarantee anything in that regard. There are many solemnisers who can perform marriage ceremonies. The total number of solemnisers is approximately 5,766. In 2016 there were 5,630 religious solemnisers, with 113 civil solemnisers and 23 secular solemnisers. I can see the Senator's point about availability on Saturdays and Sundays and will convey his comments to the Minister to see if there is anything we can do. I cannot promise anything, but I thank the Senator for raising the matter. I am sure it will not go away and will be raised again in the future.