Gay couples set for rights boost

JUSTICE Minister Michael McDowell is expected to announce later today that he will be taking the first steps in giving official recognition to gay and cohabiting couples who are in long-term relationships.

This move is likely to give the unmarried couples income tax, inheritance tax, gift tax and property rights, next-of-kin designation, social welfare and travel rights but stops short of allowing them marry, as that could be unconstitutional.

History was made in Belfast yesterday when the first gay wedding in Britain took place at City Hall. Shannon Sickels and Gráinne Close tied the knot during a private ceremony under new civil partnership legislation.

Mr McDowell, who is due to meet with the Gay, Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN) later today, has previously said that legal recognition should be given to same sex unions or civil partnerships but that this recognition "should not put such unions on the same legal basis as marriage".

Department of Justice sources last night said that the minister is likely to set out his plans today. Legislation is being written up by officials but it is likely a consultation procedure will take place before a new civil recognition would become law. The minister has said he would like to see proposals enacted during the life-span of this Government.

Department sources warned, however, that extending tax breaks to non-married couples is likely to have "a huge effect" on the amount of tax coming into the Department of Finance.

All couples could find that the current tax system would be re-examined.

Since 2001, the Equality Authority has called for a range of possible solutions to the "current inequality" including a legal register of long-term partnerships while GLEN is holding out for full gay marriage.

Strong opposition to Mr McDowell's move is expected, not least from the Catholic Church, who described the Law Reform Commission's recommendations on this area last year as undermining the constitutional status of marriage.

Latest figures show that the number of cohabiting couples in Ireland has risen by over 40% in the past decade to 77,600. The number of gay cohabiting couples rose by 125% to 1,300.

Equality Authority CEO Niall Crowley said yesterday same sex couples regularly face practical discrimination, such as when a partner dies, as they aren't recognised legally as next-of-kin.

Same sex couples don't have joint tax assessment and there is no legal recognition of their partnership when it comes to rearing a child. Such legal recognition is crucial to create a cultural climate where discrimination can be stamped out," he said.