I am aware of the pressing need to make technical amendments to the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 including those sections in Part 9 that provide for the registration and re-registration of the birth of a donor-conceived child and, in particular, make possible the registration of details of “Parent”, as well as “Mother” and “Father”, where required.
I want to make these necessary amendments at the earliest possible opportunity.
As I stated to this House on the 19th of December last, it is my intention to bring these amendments forward in a stand-alone Bill early this year. To this end, the Government have approved the preparation of the Civil Registration Bill 2019, which will include these provisions, and will be brought forward as a matter of priority.
Commencement of these amendments is also dependent on commencement of Parts 2 and 3 of the 2015 Act, which is the responsibility of the Minister for Health. There are important administrative and operational arrangements to be put in place to facilitate the implementation of Parts 2 and 3, including the establishment of the National Donor-Conceived Person Register and the appointment of authorised persons under the Act. I understand that it is the Minister for Health's intention that these provisions will be commenced as soon as possible.
Officials from my Department are working with the General Register Office (GRO) and the Department of Health to ensure that the appropriate legislative, regulatory, and operational mechanisms are in place to allow for the earliest possible commencement of all of the relevant legislation that will allow for birth registrations of donor-conceived children.