TAOISEACH ENDA KENNY says that the Government will next week present its response to the Constitutional Convention’s call for same-sex marriage.

Speaking on the way into a Cabinet meeting this morning, Kenny said that the Government’s response was due next week and would be provided by then. “What we said was that we would respond within four months to the recommendations made by the different Convention reports,” he said.

In April the Constitutional Convention voted to recommend to the Government that the Constitution be changed to allow for civil marriages for same-sex couples. As part of the process it is then up to the Government to decide whether the issue should be put before the people in a referendum.

The issue of same-sex marriage was the third issue that was examined by the Constitutional Convention. The issue previous to it was  in relation to the Constitutional reference to women’s ‘life within the home’ with the Government earlier this month saying there would be no referendum on that particular issue until extensive consultations had taken place.

Speaking at the weekend Tánaiste Éamon Gilmore had said that a same-sex marriage referendum would be held before the end of the lifetime of this government, so it had been speculated that a response might be forthcoming from Government following Cabinet discussions this week.

Read: ‘Same-sex marriage referendum will be held before the end of the lifetime of this government’ – Gilmore >

Read: Thousands turn out at marriage equality march in Dublin >