THERE has been a dramatic increase in the incidence of marriage breakdown in Ireland in the past year.
As the President, Mrs Robinson, signed the Act allowing for divorce into law yesterday, it emerged that the number of marriage breakdowns in Ireland has increased by almost 5,000 since 1995.
The extent of the problem is indicated by the preliminary 1996 Labour Force Survey which shows that 47,500 marriages - affecting 95,000 married people - have broken down. This compares to the 1995 figure of 42,800 marriages affecting 85,600 married people.
The Family Law (Divorce) Act is due to come into operation on February 27th, and the first applications to the Circuit Court or the High Court for decrees of divorce can be made from that date.
An application may be sought by an individual spouse who has been living away from the other marriage partner for more than four years. A backlog of cases is likely to cause an initial surge as it is believed that at least 60,000 of the known 95,000 separated people have been living apart for the required legal period.
On the introduction of judicial separation seven years ago, the full backlog did not apply for decrees in the first year but were spread over a longer time.
The Minister for Equality and Law Reform, Mr Taylor, said yesterday that the remedy of divorce would give a choice to separated people that had never existed.
"It will allow them the option, if they so wish, to end in law a marriage which is long over in reality and will, in addition, give the right to remarry," Mr Taylor said.