A Labour Party Private Members' Bill to give full legal recognition to same-sex unions will be debated in the Dáil this week.
The Civil Unions Bill aims to create a status of relationship that would be equivalent to marriage for people of the same sex, and provides for the rules of law applying to marriage to apply to civil unions.
Labour Party spokesman on justice Brendan Howlin said yesterday that the Bill represented a significant step towards the provision of full equality for gay and lesbian citizens, in particular for those in same-sex relationships.
He said the tabling of the Bill, which the party published in December, marked a watershed in the State's legislative and social history.
Mr Howlin said the time for consultation on civil unions was over and the time for decision making was approaching.
"I am also confident that Irish society has matured and attitudes changed sufficiently to the point where the majority of Irish people would now have no problem with legislation that would provide same-sex couples with same rights and duties that are generally available to married couples," he said.
One of the reasons the Labour Party had tabled the Bill was because the Government had shown no commitment to the introduction of such legislation, he said.
"The Government has been dancing around this issue for some time. There have been sympathetic noises from both the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste, but no indication of a willingness to act.
"Despite the publication, in November last, of the report of the Working Group on Domestic Relationships, the Government has refused to give any commitment on the introduction of legislation to allow for civil partnerships."
He called on the Government to support the Bill at the end of second stage so it could proceed to committee stage, where Labour would consider any amendments that would improve the Bill.
Mr Howlin said the impetus for the decriminalisation of homosexual activities between consenting adults came from the Labour Party.
He added: "Myself and Barry Desmond, during our respective terms of office as minister for health, introduced legislation that provided for the easy availability of contraceptives. It was Mervyn Taylor who successfully piloted the constitutional amendment that allowed for the introduction of divorce during the term of the rainbow government. The Civil Unions Bill is entirely consistent with that equality agenda."