Arlene Foster Letter On Same-Sex Marriage Released

A letter Arlene Foster wrote to the Scottish Government has been released asking that it restrict gay couples from Northern Ireland converting their same sex marriages in Scotland.

The letter was signed by the DUP Leader and was sent when she was Finance Minister in 2015.

However, speaking to BBC Radio Ulster's Inside Politics programme last week, Mrs Foster denied sending a letter.

She said: "I'm not quite sure what he (Mr Biagi) was referring to but it certainly wasn't a letter from me and I've no recollection of a letter from me.

"If I'd written to him officially as Minister of Finance or something like that around recognition laws here in Northern Ireland, I have no recollection of it. I certainly didn't write in a personal capacity."

The correspondence urged then Scottish local government minister Marco Biagi to exclude Northern Ireland-based couples from legislation that enabled people in civil partnerships to convert those unions to same sex marriages.

In the wake of the General election Mr Biagi tweeted about the letter.

He wrote: "When I was a minister DUP's Arlene Foster wrote to me asking us to curtail access of Northern Irish citizens to Scottish same-sex marriages."

The letter was a follow-up after her party colleague and predecessor Simon Hamilton previously wrote to Mr Biagi. Mr Hamilton's letter has also been made public.

The letters did not cite moral or political objections to the proposed legislation in Scotland, but highlighted potential legal issues.

Mrs Foster wrote: "I'm sure neither of us would wish to place same sex couple in an uncertain legal position, which maybe difficult and expensive to resolve."

Mr Biagi rejected the request from the Northern Ireland ministers.

Also, in his reply to Mrs Foster, dated 24 November 2015, he said it would "not be appropriate" to exclude Northern Ireland couples from availing of the legislation.

(CD)