Same-sex marriage in the Republic of Ireland in Northern Ireland held the first of the new UK civil partnership registration ceremonies. The Government said that it would legislate following the report, but Taoiseach Bertie Ahern also said there might not be time to do so before the then upcoming election. Chaired by former TD Anne Colley, this working group included GLEN, the gay rights lobby organisation, who said they expected a recommendation for civil marriage. The group facilitated a conference on the topic in May 2006, as input to its reports which was attended by experts from other countries which have introduced civil unions and same-sex marriage.
Government spending in the United Kingdom Government spending in the United Kingdom Central government spending in the United Kingdom, also called public expenditure, is the responsibility of the UK government, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive. In the budget for financial year 2016–17 , proposed total government spending was £772 billion. Spending per head is significantly higher in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland than it is in England. Scotland has historically produced more tax than people in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, although following a decline in the oil price in 2014, Scotland produced slightly less revenue than England per capita