Marriage ceremonies performed by members of the Humanist Association of Ireland will have legal status from next year after legislation passed all stages in the Dáil yesterday.

The Civil Registration (Amendment) Bill was passed by the Seanad earlier this month, and, introducing it in the Dáil, Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton said it “aims to extend the scope of marriage solemnisers across the spectrum of belief systems and formally acknowledge this in the registration system”.

Sinn Féin spokesman Aengus Ó Snodaigh said that, as things stood, only religious bodies or HSE employees could perform legal civil ceremonies and it was “bizarre that the HSE does not allow staff engaged in this role to work at weekends, which is when most people prefer to have their marriage service”.