Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. Obviously Sinn Féin will support the Bill. While it is technical, it represents a series of steps on a very long road for equal parental rights for LGBTQI couples. The failure to commence key parts of the Children and Family Relationships Act is probably the issue I have discussed most in my short time in this House, mainly because it is one of the most pressing and obvious denials of LGBT rights, for which the Government is accountable.

We need to acknowledge the negligence that has allowed for families to continue on for over four years without recognition, without legal rights and without protections. It is at least disappointing and arguably shameful that successive Ministers for Justice and Equality, Health, and Employment Affairs and Social Protection have overseen those delays. I do not know if we will ever get to the bottom of why we have had so many delays. It may be down to departmental officials, not being prioritised in work programmes, different agendas or whatever. Questions should be asked about those delays.

In the intervening years we have had a referendum on civil marriage equality. We have had two amendment Bills aimed at fixing typos. We have had six missed deadlines. A seventh deadline has been set today and is on the record of this House. Arguably some people relied on these deadlines. Some took them in good faith and we passed them on in good faith. On numerous occasions I have met mothers affected. One cannot but feel for their situation as loving, dutiful and caring parents. Irrespective of the legal relationship, they have raised their children despite negligence on the part of the State.

Yesterday we held a briefing in the audiovisual room with Love Equality, the campaign for civil marriage equality in the North. There was a bit of reflection on the 2015 marriage referendum and this is one area where we have not finished the job. With families being one of the most basic consequences of marriage and one of the most primary units of society, it is amazing that we enacted such a landmark change to marriage and yet four years on we have not furnished any rights to those married couples who start to have children. Some of the most hurtful arguments in that referendum campaign were about the ability of the gays to raise children. This should have been a priority.

Having said that, the Minister, Deputy Regina Doherty, has taken on the mantle on the issue. From my experience in recent months she has pursued commencements more than any Minister I have dealt with. I know she regularly interacts with parents and people on Twitter. I keep them up-to-date on the commencement of the Act. I thank the Minister for accepting Sinn Féin's amendment. I know she sees it as possibly redundant and hopefully it will be.

I also thank LGBT Ireland for its work. Some if its representatives are in the Gallery. I thank Paula Fagan. A number of families individually campaigned on the issue. LGBT Ireland brought those families together and focused the campaign. There is an obvious respectful relationship going on there which is brilliant. We need advocates at Cabinet.

I am being attacked by a fly.