Gay couples would have new rights

Patrick Harvie said he hopes to win the support of other MSPs from all parties to allow the plans to go forward to the Scottish Parliament.

Mr Harvie said cohabiting couples and gay couples should have similar rights to married couples.

He wants to establish a civil ceremony - like a register office wedding - to allow them to formally register their partnerships and give them legal rights and responsibilities.

The rights would include the same treatment in tax affairs, welfare benefits, insurance, property and legacies as married couples.

Mr Harvie said: "It's important to recognise that there are many people who choose not to marry because they don't feel that the institution of marriage reflects their own personal values or meets their needs.

"That's mixed sex couples as well as same sex couples."

Patrick Harvie is seeking MSPs' support

Civil partnerships already exist in Germany and some parts of the United States.

They have the support of the Greens, the Liberal Democrats, the Socialists and individual members across the other parties.

Fourteen MSPs supported a similar proposal in the last parliament and Mr Harvie needs the support of 11 this time to ensure his proposals can be considered by parliament.

However, the Scottish Conservatives said Mr Harvie's move was a distraction from the real work of the Scottish Parliament.

They have accused him of trying to hijack the parliament's agenda and predicted that the plans will not receive enough support even to reach the floor of the chamber.

Labour MSP Michael McMahon also criticised the proposals, saying: "It's highly debatable whether gay marriage meets people's priorities."

The Scottish National Party's Roseanna Cunningham said the issue was not a priority of the Scottish people and should not be a priority of the parliament.

'No status'

Ellen Galford, who lives in Edinburgh, wants recognition of her long term relationship.

She believes it is an important human rights issue.

"My partner pays considerable amounts into her workplace pension," she said.

"Somebody who had been married to someone for 15 minutes, if they died, the pension would go to that person.

"My partner and I have been together for over 24 years and I would have no status as things currently go."

The UK Government is promising to consult on civil partnership proposals for England and Wales and the Scottish Executive said last year that it would examine those proposals.