A terminally-ill gay man who persuaded the government to compensate his partner for taking time off work to care for him has urged other same-sex couples to follow his example.
The man told RTÉ News that he was disappointed that the Minister for Social Welfare, Seamus Brennan, had said the decision did not set a precedent.
Mr Brennan responded by saying his department would continue to deal with such applications on a case-by-case basis while the government examined proposals for legal reform.
The terminally-ill man, who has been told he has less than two years to live, has remained anonymous because he said he feared his employer would stop paying him if his identity became known.
He was delighted that he had secured a Government u-turn by threatening to take a discrimination case against the state for refusing him the dependent's allowance because he was gay.
'Others might benefit from the government's decision although it says it has not set a policy precedent by doing this,' he said.
"But in my view, other same-sex couples in similar situations - claiming Invalidity payments or Unemployment payments - should claim adult dependent allowance and the Department for Social Welfare should pay.'
He says that if the government fails to introduce same-sex marriage, the next round of this battle will follow his death.
'My partner will certainly be applying for the Widower's Pension when the occasion arises,' he said.
He acknowledged the Department's generosity but said that entitlement should be based on social insurance contributions paid regardless of sexual orientation and not on a grace and favour basis.
The Minister said that his department had dealt with this case sympathetically and would deal with other applications on a case-by-case basis while the Government was examining proposals for reforming the law on domestic partnership.
