Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 18 Feb 1997

Vol. 475 No. 1

Written Answers. - Birth Certificate Amendment.

Brendan Kenneally

Ceist:

77 Mr. Kenneally asked the Minister for Health the steps, if any, he will take to allow a child to be registered in its Irish name in view of the fact that this cannot be done if the father or mother's name is in English on the long form of the birth certificate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3465/97]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan,

Limerick East): I take it that the Deputy is referring to the provisions for the amendment of an existing entry in the register of births.

I am advised by An tArd Chláraitheoir that a birth may be recorded in either English or Irish, provided that the details are accurate. The particulars required to be registered in respect of a birth are set out in section 30 of the Births and Deaths Registration Act, 1863, and the schedule to that Act. These are incorporated into the bilingual headings in the register of births and include (fore) name given (to child) if any; name, surname and dwelling place of father; name, surname and maiden surname of mother.

The purpose of registration is to record the particulars of a birth which occured on a particular date, and if any of the parties subsequently adopts a different name in later life it does not effect the particulars recorded at birth. However, if it can be shown that a mistake was made in the registration of a birth, there are procedures set out in the Registration Acts and the regulations made under those Acts which allow for amendments to be made to entries in the register of births, subject to some confirmation being available that an error had occurred.

A person gains his/her name by use and repute and entry of a name in English in the register of births will not prevent a person using the Irish form of their name nor will it prevent them from obtaining a passport showing the Irish format of their name.

A new format of birth entries under the Registration of Births Act, 1996, comes into effect from October next which will provide for,inter alia, the registration of the surname of a child for births registered after the commencement date.