asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health whether, in view of the increasing demand for birth certificates for all purposes, he will set up a committee to inquire into the changes necessary in the law to secure that such certificates. intended for general social purposes, shall be confined to giving the necessary particulars of age only, and will exclude such information as is not necessary to properly identify the person to whom the certificate relates.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Birth Certificates.
While I have sympathy with the aim the Deputy has in mind, I am not prepared to set up a committee on the lines he suggests.
The question of an abridged form of birth certificate was considered in my Department some time ago, but it was not possible at that time to arrive at a form that would be acceptable to the various authorities that require birth certificates to be tendered. It has been represented that the present form of birth certificates gives the minimum information necessary to establish proof of age and identity.
However, the question of amending the law relating to registration is being considered in my Department, and in that connection a further effort will be made to arrive at a generally acceptable modification of the existing form of birth certificate.