The Chairperson of the Adoption Authority of Ireland has said the result of the upcoming same-sex marriage referendum will not affect the adoption process.
Geoffrey Shannon said "sole applicants have been in a position to apply to assess for adoption" since 1991, meaning a partner in a cohabiting relationship can apply to enter the process.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Claire Byrne Live, Mr Shannon, who is also the Special Rapporteur on Child Protection, said "the assessment would include both people", but the order would be granted to one of the partners.
He added the Children and Family Relationships Act extends the right to assessment for adoption to civil partners and cohabiting couples who have lived together for three years.
This would mean the child would have a legal relationship with both partners in the relationship.
Mr Shannon also said "the best interests of the child is the key requirement" when determining adoption applications.
He went on to clarify that the process involves assessing the capacity of the applicant to parent a child and the practical issues of how the adoption placement will take place.
The birth mother herself decides the outcome of the process, with Mr Shannon saying "if the birth mother decides that she does not want to place her child with a same-sex couple, that decision will invariably be respected."
Dr Tom Finnegan, a lawyer representing the Mothers and Fathers Matter group, said Mr Shannon evaded the consitutional question of whether the Oireachtas could give a preference in law for a child to have a mother and father.
Dr Finnegan added Mr Shannon sidestepped the European Convention of Human Rights jurisprudence in the area, so it is a incomplete answer.
Senator Rónán Mullen, advocating a No vote, and Minister Simon Coveney, calling for a Yes vote, took part in a debate on the issue on the same programme.
Earlier, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said he remains "confident" that voters will support proposals to allow same-sex couples to marry.
Speaking in Co Mayo, Mr Kenny defended the right of Catholic bishops to make their views known ahead of the referendum.
A number of bishops expressed concerns about the proposed change to the Constitution over the weekend.
Mr Kenny said the issue of same-sex marriage was not about the Catholic Church or any other church.
He said the referendum had nothing to do with children, religious ceremonies or church teaching.
Instead, he said it was about ending discrimination and giving two people who love each other the right to marry.
Mr Kenny said he was confident that people would ratify the amendment.
However he said it was important that they went out and voted to demonstrate their motivation for seeking constitutional change.
Meanwhile, Minister for Communications Alex White has said he believes the outcome of the referendum is a lot more finely balanced than people think.
He said he was sceptical about opinion polls showing a significant percentage in favour of a Yes vote.
Mr White is the Labour Party's Director of Elections for the same-sex marriage referendum.
Speaking this afternoon, he said he was confident that voters would approve the proposal but that he was not taking anything for granted ahead of polling day.
He said in the lead up to 22 May, the topic was becoming more "hotly contested".
