John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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60. To ask the Minister for Finance if dowries are legal here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37448/14]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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There is no Irish law prohibiting the giving of a gift to or making a settlement in favour of a bride, a groom or a couple who are to be married, whether or not that gift or settlement is termed a 'dowry'.

The term 'dowry' is not defined under Irish law and can have different roles in relation to marriage in different cultures. I, as Minister for Finance, do not have the primary role in relation to the law concerning the institution of marriage.

I understand that the Civil Registration (Amendment) Bill 2014 has recently been initiated in the Seanad on behalf of the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection. That proposed legislation deals in part with the complex issue of marriages of convenience. It provides factors for a Superintendent Registrar to consider in forming the opinion that a marriage or civil partnership would constitute a marriage or civil partnership of convenience. It provides that a dowry will not be considered evidence of a marriage or civil partnership of convenience where it is part of the culture of one of the parties to the union.