The civil union bill has not been delayed for political reasons, and rumours that government whips are involved in mustering numbers to derail the bill are untrue, according to the bill's parliamentary overseer. Associate Justice Minister David Benson-Pope says sorting out the technical and legal detail of the accompanying Recognition of Relationships bill is causing the delay, and that if opponents of the bills had asked outright if the delays were for political reasons they would have been told no. “The Government is still committed to this legislation,” he says. “It is not viewed as gay or lesbian legislation but human rights legislation.” The comments will come as a blow to United Future leader Peter Dunne, who last week crowed that the civil unions were a dead duck, and that he and his party would be happy to wave goodbye to legislation he labelled as “silliness”. The Minister expects both the Civil Union and Recognition of Relationships bill to be introduced soon after the Budget.