Ahern defends Civil Partnership law

Minister Dermot Ahern says Ireland will be a better place following the enactment of the Civil Partnership legislation, which the President today signed into law.

The Justice Minister says it is one of the most important pieces of civil rights legislation to be enacted since independence.

It now means Civil Partnerships can be registered here for the first time.

There had been speculation President McAleese would refer the bill to the Supreme Court to test its constitutionality.