Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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723. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth her views on the ten years since the Marriage Equality Referendum; and if the Government intends to mark the anniversary. [21854/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Since the landmark passage of the Marriage Equality Referendum in 2015, important legislative and policy progress in the area of LGBTIQ+ rights and equality has continued. The Government has implemented two related Strategies, namely the LGBTI+ National Youth Strategy (2018-2020) and the National LGBTI+ Inclusion Strategy (2019-2021).

In 2018, Ireland was the first country in the world to launch a National LGBTI+ Youth Strategy with the goal of creating a safe, supportive and inclusive environment for LGBTIQ+ young people; improving the mental, physical and sexual health and wellbeing of the entire LGBTIQ+ community; and to develop the research and data environment to better understand the lives of LGBTIQ+ young people.

This was followed in 2019, by Ireland’s first National LGBTI+ Inclusion Strategy, which set out a strategic approach to addressing the needs of LGBTIQ+ people in Ireland. It was a very ambitious Strategy with significant cross-Departmental commitment to improving the lives of LGBTIQ+ people in Ireland. This inaugural Strategy sought to provide for an Ireland where LGBTIQ+ people are visible and included, treated equally, healthy and feel safe and supported.

A new National LGBTIQ+ Inclusion Strategy II 2024 – 2028 has been developed, which reflects a whole of Government commitment to fostering a safe, fair, and inclusive society in which LGBTIQ+ people can live inclusive, healthy, and fulfilling lives.

The Pillars on which the National LGBTIQ+ Inclusion Strategy II Strategy are built: Safety, Health and Wellbeing, Participation and Inclusion, and Equality and Non-Discrimination seek to directly confront the continuing challenges faced by LGBTIQ+ people today. On 12 June, I launched and published the Strategy and its associated first two-year Action Plan for 2025-2026.

Under the new National LGBTIQ+ Inclusion Strategy II, my department provided funding to support the ‘Marriage Referendum +10 Conference - Defending Freedoms, Advancing Human Rights’ to mark the 10th Anniversary of Marriage Equality in Ireland. The conference took place on 13 May 2025, in the Printworks in Dublin Castle. The conference explored the progress made in LGBTIQ+ rights, along with the challenges ahead for wider human rights and equality, and the risks to democracy.