Vol. 505 No. 7
76 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Health and Children if the birth certificates of adopted persons contain an indication that the person was adopted; and, if so, the reason in this regard in view of the fact that information is not relevant to many authorities who would request sight of a birth certificate and which represent an invasion of privacy. [14713/99]
The administration of the registration system for births, deaths and marriages is a matter for An t-Árd Chláraitheoir, Registrar-General, of Births, Deaths and Marriages and for local registrars who operate under his general direction.
The facts required to be recorded in the Register of Births are determined principally by the Births and Deaths Registration (Ireland) Act, 1863, as amended by the Registration of Births Act, 1996 – Number 36 of 1966 – and the particulars to be entered in the birth register are set out in the Schedule to the latter Act. There is no reference to a person's adoptive status in the entry in the Register of Births. A full birth certificate must be a true copy of the entry in the register.
However, I believe that the Deputy may be referring to certified copies of entries in the Adopted Children Register. Section 22 of the Adoption Act, 1952, Number 25 of 1952, provided for the setting up of a birth register for adopted children, to be maintained by an tÁrdChlár-aitheoir, Registrar-General. The Act provided that the register would be called the Adopted Children Register. The items to be entered in that register are set out in the Second Schedule to the Act of 1952. A full certificate must be a true copy of the entry in the register.
A short birth certificate can be issued in respect of an entry in either register and it shows name, date of birth, district of registration and the number of the entry in the register.
