Gay rights campaigners have welcomed a decision by Minister for Justice Michael McDowell to establish a consultation forum between the gay and lesbian community and the Government.
However, they said the test of the Government's commitment to gay and lesbian rights would be its stance on proposed legislation on both civil partnerships and immigration and residency.
Mark Lacey, co-chairman of Gay and Lesbians Unions Eire (Glue), welcomed the announcement of the forum, which was made on Thursday night at the Minister's controversial opening of the Dublin Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.
But he was disappointed Mr McDowell did not mention, in his keynote speech, immigration as one of the main areas of unfairness affecting same-sex couples.
"In other countries, immigration tends to be the first issue addressed after decriminalisation," said Mr Lacey.
"In the UK, provisions were brought in in 1995 allowing same-sex couples residency if they could prove they were in a relationship for four years; this was later brought down to two years. But in Ireland we have no such provisions."
Yesterday was the closing date for submissions on a new Immigration and Residence Bill, which Mr McDowell plans to bring before Government later this year.
In a submission to the Minister, Glue catalogued a variety of problems faced by non-national same-sex partners of Irish citizens, including difficulties in obtaining work permits and residency status.
It cited the example of "Joseph", a Filipino man who was living with an Irish citizen in Belfast under a British visa.
On a train journey to Dublin, the couple were stopped by immigration officials and informed that Joseph's visa did not entitle him to travel to the Republic.
He was arrested and spent some time in a police cell in Belfast, the report noted.
The Gay & Lesbian Equality Network (Glen) also urged the Minister to address the issue.
While he welcomed the Minister's attendance at the festival launch, the group's chief executive, Keith O'Malley, said: "Mr McDowell has taken a certain view about the kind of civil partnership arrangement that is going to work best in Ireland. We would take a different view, believing people are entitled to civil marriage."
In his address, the Minister rejected the notion of "a marriage analogue" for same-sex couples, saying "we have to adopt a different approach".
Marie Mulholland, chairwoman of the Irish Council for Civil Liberty's Partnership Rights and Family Diversity Initiative, criticised the Minister's stance, saying: "I don't know where he gets the idea that same-sex couples don't want marriage."
Speaking in a personal capacity, Ms Mulholland said she stood over her opposition to Mr McDowell's attendance at the festival launch.
"Except for announcing the steering group between Glen and himself, it was all so predictable. He said his bit and he left. There was no engagement."
Fine Gael spokeswoman on equality Senator Sheila Terry also criticised Mr McDowell's speech, saying the Minister should have used the opportunity to announce when and how he would legislate for civil partnerships.
"If the Minister cared at all about the 'equality' part of his agenda, he would have outlined a timetable for when he intends to grant equality to this disadvantaged section of society," she said.
