Government Plans to Make Divorce Easier

11.04.2017

There has been cross-party support for a Fine Gael proposal to slash the waiting time for divorce from four years to two. A bill tabled by Dublin-Rathdown deputy Josepha Madigan will now be sent to the Oireachtas Justice Committee for consideration after it received significant backing from TDs.

Under the Constitution, married couples must prove they have been separated for four years before they qualify for divorce. If Deputy Madigan’s bill is passed, the Government would be required to begin the process for a referendum on whether that term should be cut to two years.

Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar and Fianna Fáil's Justice spokesperson Jim O'Callaghan were among those who spoke out in favour of the bill. Junior Minister David Stanton said the Government would be supporting the bill and would consider going even further.

“As a further step, the Government is of the view that it should at this stage be open to proposing the removal of all the conditions for the granting of a divorce set out under Article 41.32 of the Constitution,” Mr Stanton said.

Irish Independent. April 7.