The long-awaited Civil Partnership Bill moved a step closer today after the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform unveiled the outline of the Bill.
The Government had pledged to publish legislation last March that would extend many of the benefits of marriage to same-sex couples, but a number of legal problems have delayed progress on the Bill.
The scheme announced by Dermot Ahern today under the Heads of Bill will establish a statutory mechanism for registration of same-sex partnerships, set out the duties and responsibilities of registered partners, and set out the consequences of dissolution of such partnerships.
Mr Ahern said the Bill represents a recognition by Government of the 'many forms of relationships in modern society'
But the Bill falls short of giving same-sex couples the full right to marry. Mr Ahern said this was because such a right "wouldn't pass muster" under the Constitution.
Detailed provisions of the Bill will now be drafted by the Office of the Attorney General.
The Government has also decided to publish the Heads of the Bill, and interested persons are invited to examine the detail of the scheme and to submit their views to the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
Announcing the publication, Mr Ahern said: "This is a major milestone in the implementation of the commitment in the Agreed Programme for Government to legislate for Civil Partnerships.
"This legislation is keenly awaited by many cohabiting couples, and will be of great benefit both to same-sex and opposite-sex cohabiting couples. As well as providing for Civil Partnership Registration for same-sex couples, it will also provide certainty as to the status of cohabitation agreements."
Mr Ahern added the legislation will provide a "legal safety-net" to people living in long term relationships who may otherwise be very vulnerable at the end of a relationship.
"The scheme will also clarify the law by providing for recognition of cohabitant agreements between unmarried opposite-sex cohabiting couples and between unregistered cohabiting same-sex couples," the Minister said.
Mr Ahern said the Bill represents a recognition by Government of the "many forms of relationships in modern society", and was an important step "very particularly for same-sex couples, whose relationships have not previously been given legal recognition".
The Bill was included in the programme for government at the insistence of the Greens. At a joint press conference last October, Ministers from the two main Coalition parties promised the draft heads of the Bill would be published by the end of March.
The Scheme of the Civil Partnership Bill may be viewed on the Department's website www.justice.ie.