I wish, at this stage, to propose that discussion of the remaining Seanad amendments be deferred to another day in order to facilitate consideration being given to the insertion in the Bill of an additional amendment which relates to section 7. The background to my proposals is as follows. When this Bill was debated in the House at an earlier stage, Deputies were most anxious that the provisions in section 7 should be subject to independent legal advice. I took on board those concerns in an amendment which I introduced on Report Stage in this House.
However, the existing draft of the section contains an anomaly which I should like to remove. In brief, as matters stand, it will be necessary for a benefiting spouse to get independent advice from a lawyer before he or she opts out, but if the party who would benefit from the joint ownership is comtemplating marriage, he or she would be free to opt out without obtaining any such advice. It is desirable that spouses and individuals contemplating marriage be on an equal footing. Accordingly, I am now moving the necessary motion in the following terms.
