Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 July 2020
787. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if consideration will be given to rolling out changes to social services forms for children, such as child benefit, disability allowance, which currently ask for name of father and name of mother to reflect the diverse society of Ireland and the move away from the view as the traditional family unit. [16014/20]
View answerOver the last number of years Irish society has changed, as has the make up of our families within Ireland. This diversity in Irish family structures makes for a more inclusive and open society, and is to be welcomed.
In terms of promoting equality and diversity, my own Department has been progressive in such matter, for example, developing Gender Recognition Legislation (2015) to enable people to achieve full legal recognition of their preferred gender and to receive a new birth certificate that reflects the change.
The Department's Communications and Customer Service Unit develops all printed forms in accordance with the principles set out in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reforms 'Customer Communications Toolkit for the Public Service' and in applying plain English standards to existing forms.
With over one hundred Departmental forms, a schedule of form reviews and updates is continually being progressed, and the Department regularly consults with stakeholder groups when developing or updating forms to ensure the use of clear terminology and plain English.
In reference to specific terminology, legislation can make reference to specific names for example, Maternity Benefit legislation makes reference to the term mother and any change to any terminology will need to be examined to ensure that it is aligned with the relevant legislation, where applicable. Notwithstanding this, the Department is keen to ensure that our forms are accessible and inclusive and is committed to adopting language that is inclusive and clear, and reflect the society we live in.
I thank the Deputy for his suggestion and confirm it will be considered by the Department.
