Vol. 488 No. 2
121 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Health and Children the intentions, if any, he has regarding the establishment of procedures for the inclusion of the name of the father in the birth certificates of children born to unmarried parents as recommended by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. [5953/98]
The Births and Deaths Registration Acts, 1863 to 1996, include provisions for the entry of paternity details in the register of births in respect of children born to parents not married to each other. As the Deputy may be aware, the Status of Children Act, 1987, amended section 7 of the Births and Deaths Registration Act (Ireland), 1880, by the substitution of sections 7 and 7A. These sections set out the procedures allowing for the registration of paternity details in such cases and included a provision for the registration of the father's details in the register of births on the joint application for registration by the parents or on the application by one or other parents with co-operation of the other parent. They also provided for the registration of paternity details on the sole application of either the father or the mother of the child on the production of a certified copy of a court order naming the father of the child.
This issue will be examined in the context of the recommendations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.
