The Colley Report is a 2006 paper on

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...

and

civil partnership A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, created primarily as a means to provide recognition in law for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage ...

produced for the

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

Government. Formally known as the Options Paper on Cohabiting Couples (2006), the report was named after its chair, Anne Colley.

Background

On 20 December 2005, the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, announced that he was creating a working group in the Department of Justice to provide options for government consideration. This announcement came the day after

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

in Northern Ireland held the first of the new UK Civil Partnership registration ceremonies. The Government said that it would legislate following the report, but Taoiseach Bertie Ahern also said there might not be time to do so before the then upcoming election.

Process

Chaired by former TD Anne Colley, this working group included the

Gay and Lesbian Equality Network The Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN) was an Irish LGBT rights group based in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1988 by Don Donnelly, Charles Kerrigan, Suzy Byrne, Kieran Rose and Christopher Robson. It focused on achieving change in le ...

(GLEN), the gay rights lobby organisation, who said they expected a recommendation for civil marriage. The group facilitated a conference on the topic in May 2006, as input to its reports which was attended by experts from other countries which have introduced civil unions and gay marriage. During his speech, McDowell was interrupted by members of the

Ancient Order of Hibernians The Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH; ) is an Irish Catholic fraternal organization. Members must be male, Catholic, and either born in Ireland or of Irish descent. Its largest membership is now in the United States, where it was founded in N ...

opposed to the Government plans.

Outcome

Initially to report by March 2006, the group presented its report to Government in November 2006. They recommended that a civil partnership scheme would resolve most of the issues for same-sex and cohabiting couples, while providing fewer benefits than marriage. Offering civil marriage to gay couples would be open to constitutional challenge. They also recommended a legal presumption of partnership for couples which have lived together for three years or have children together. No recommendations were made for couples in non- conjugal relationships due to lack of research. The cabinet reviewed the report, but no legislation was introduced before the 2007 General election, and in the intervening period the Government rejected opposition legislation, saying that legislation should await the KAL Case Supreme Court challenge.

Response

The Report was welcomed by GLEN, the

Irish Human Rights Commission The Irish Human Rights Commission has been merged with the Equality Authority. Both former organisations were dissolved and their functions transferred to a new statutory body, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission on 1 November 2014. The ...

, and other rights organisations.

Ógra Fianna Fáil Ógra Fianna Fáil(; meaning "Youth of Fianna Fáil") is the youth wing of Fianna Fáil. The organisation was founded in 1975 by party leader Jack Lynch under the guidance of party general secretary, Séamus Brennan. It is active on an all-Ir ...

also called for full implementation of the Report. At the same time, a number of LGBT groups, including GLEN, LGBTNoise, and MarriagEquality, criticised Civil Partnership as "a separate and unequal institution".

References

{{reflist

External links

The Colley Report
Same-sex marriage in the Republic of Ireland 2006 in Ireland 2006 in LGBT history