Key Points - Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010

Civil Partnership:

• Under Civil Partnership, same-sex couples will be able to avail of benefits in a wide range of areas such as property, social welfare, succession, maintenance, pensions and tax.
• Ceremonies may take place in civil registry offices or other approved settings.
• The legislation will also provide for recognition of civil partnerships, or their equivalents, from other countries.

Redress Scheme:

• This Act provides for a limited redress scheme where a cohabitant is left economically dependent.
• This will be done through a presumptive scheme- cohabitants will not have to register their relationships but will automatically be covered once a qualifying period of time has passed.
• The redress scheme will apply to relationships of at least 5 years.

Our Record

• Fianna Fáil is a republican party. It is therefore our policy to build a Republic which is founded on the ideals of the equality and the dignity of every member of the human family. Fianna Fáil stands for an open and inclusive society where the dignity and equality of every person is fully upheld.
• In 1989, it was Fianna Fáil in government that steered through the Oireachtas the Incitement to Hatred Act which makes it an offence to publish or distribute material or use words or behaviour, etc. that are threatening, abusive or insulting and are intended, or likely to stir up hated against a group or persons on account of a number of specific grounds including sexual orientation. This principle was subsequently extended into the area of broadcasting.
• In 1993, it was also Fianna Fáil in government that brought forward the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act that finally brought an end to the unfair criminalisation of homosexual practice. We also resisted opposition attempts to set a discriminatory age of consent.
• The Employment Equality Act, 1998, prohibits discrimination in employment on grounds of sexual orientation.
• The groundbreaking Equal Status Act which was also initiated by Fianna Fáil came into effect in October 2000. It protects against discrimination outside the field of employment. It prohibits discrimination in the supply of goods or services on nine distinct grounds, including sexual orientation. Sexual orientation is defined as meaning heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual orientation.