A Roman Catholic couple have accused Strathclyde Police of discriminating against them on religious grounds after lumping married couples in the same group as civil partners in electronic personnel records.

Lucille and Frank McQuade from Motherwell, who describe themselves as devout Catholics, complained after their status as civilian employees of the police force was changed from married to married/civil partnership.

The couple, who have been married for 26 years, told a Glasgow employment tribunal today that they had deeply held religious beliefs as Christians as to the sanctity of marriage and found their description as married/civil partners offensive causing injury to their feelings as married persons.

Strathclyde Police urged a preliminary tribunal hearing to throw out their discrimination claims on the grounds of religion and sex as they had no reasonable prospect of success, or alternatively to order Mr and Mrs McQuade to pay a deposit of £500 each as a condition of the case proceeding any further.

Strathclyde Police argued the change in category in electronic Scope status records was necessary following the new Civil Partnership Act and regulations preventing discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.

If marriage and civil partnership were recorded as separate categories it would disclose information of a confidential nature to other parties as it could be possible to determine an individual's sexual orientation.

The police argued the McQuades had suffered no disadvantage or detriment and solicitor Sandy Kemp added "it takes the law of discrimination in the wrong direction."

He continued:"I suggest public funds would be better spent on far more relevant matters."

Mr McQuade (49) a communications officer with Strathclyde Police at Motherwell responded that Strathclyde Police "deliberately omitted to consider the genuine religious sensitivities of employees with the same religious beliefs as ourselves."

He added that the police "could have implemented a system to accommodate the legal requirements to recognise the legal status of civil partnership without encroaching on the rights of married persons for whom marriage has a deep religious significance."

He argued marriage and civil partnerships were separate and distinct from each other and referred to a Stonewall Parliamentary Briefing which stated "Civil partnership is a separate legal structure, designed for same sex couples.

There was no overlap in any way with heterosexual marriage: the two are mutually exclusive."

He further argued they were treated less favourable than colleagues who were single as they were not affected by any change in their status.

Mrs McQuade (46) has since left her post as a CID clerk and now works with the Catholic Parliamentary Office and Fertility Care Scotland, which teaches natural family planning.

The tribunal will issue its judgment at a later date.

After today's hearing, Mrs McQuade said: "We are practising Catholics and the concept of homosexuality is not compatible with our faith. We find it offensive that people don't know if we are married or civil partners.

"They are denigrating marriage in a way. We celebrated our silver wedding anniversary last year and renewed our vows. We are proud to be married for 26 years."

The couple have a grown up family of three.

Mr McQuade added that no slur was intended on the gay community.

"We have no problem with anybody's sexual orientation. We treat everybody the same. We object as a married couple to being lumped into the same category as civil partnerships."

Mrs McQuade added: "If civil partnership was the same as marriage they would call it marriage. This is about our rights.

"We don't want any money. We just want the records back to the way they were to show us as married.

"Discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation is wrong so why allow anyone to hide behind it.

"I don't believe in homosexual practices but I would never treat anyone different because they are homosexual or for any other reason."