Noel O'Donovan (Fine Gael)

Like other speakers, I welcome the Minister to the Chamber. It is the first opportunity I have had to speak to the Minister officially in this Chamber and to wish him well in his role. Obviously, there was a deep sense of personal pride to be appointed as a Minister for Deputy Calleary, his family and his supporters and the people of Mayo and I wish him well in the years ahead.

This is very important legislation and I thank the Minister for being in the Chamber. I pay tribute to the Minister for meeting with the family and to the previous Minister, Ms Humphreys, for her work in this area. The Minister also mentioned Deputy Alan Kelly for his commitment to seeing this legislation through and, obviously, Mr. O'Meara, in memory of his late partner, Michelle Batey, for his conviction in progressing this matter through the courts.

I take on board what my colleague, Senator Craughwell, mentioned in terms of families having to go through the courts to get through right and just legislation. It really should not be the case. However, this is a significant step forward. I fully support the legislation. This is profoundly important. It is grounded in equality and compassion.

The Bill seeks to provide support for those who have suffered the very worst and allows for dignity in the face of such loss. This Bill looks to ensure that cohabitants of five years, or two years with a child, are eligible to the payment that many widowers were entitled to. Today we are recognising that people who have built lives and families together and contribute to society whilst not being married, can be supported in the same way in a period of unimaginable loss. We are correcting an injustice enforced on people across the country for the simple reason of not being married.

As of 2024, there are 152,000 cohabiting couples in Ireland, a rise of over 6% since 2011. Of these, 75,587 are living with children. This is up 24% since 2011. A large number of the country are in cohabiting family dynamics, raising children and working together and they are all excluded from the support. This will not be the case for families anymore. This Bill will be an important protection for grieving families to maintain stability in an incredibly uncertain, worrying and challenging time. It represents a momentous stride forward as it recognises that long-term cohabitation is worth the same as marriage in terms of bereavement support.

This Bill would not be where it is today if it was not for the immense courage and bravery of John O'Meara and his family. In the face of loss, John saw the injustices against families such as his and decided that people going through the tragedy he endured should not have to face such barriers anymore.

We all know cohabiting couples and families with cohabiting parents and the value that they bring to society. Ireland is a diverse and dynamic country that is changing rapidly and it is important that our laws reflect this. Society and family are not the same as they were envisaged 50 years ago and this Bill is a step forward towards recognising that. As more people choose to live their lives with someone and raise a family whilst unmarried, it is absolutely necessary that the State supports them when they are facing the most incredible hardship. That is why I am glad to see this legislation progress through the Houses, as I believe it will have a transformative impact on so many families right across Ireland and will support people in the darkest and most difficult time of their lives.

On a personal note, I lost my uncle a number of years ago and he was cohabiting with his partner at the time. Thankfully, we have seen change in terms of property rights and cohabiting rights and it eased our family's situation at the time. I am delighted to see in this legislation that as a state we are protecting cohabiting families even more.

I welcome this legislation. There are points of note to mention in the legislation as well. It is complex legislation, but the broad ethos of it is good and I broadly welcome it today.