Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 29 Jan 1998

Vol. 486 No. 2

Written Answers. - Registration of Births.

Alan Shatter

Ceist:

154 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the difficulty which has arisen under the registration of births legislation in relation to the General Register Office amending the birth certificate of a child upon a court order determining that a person other than a mother's husband is the father of a child in circumstances where the husband was originally registered as a birth parent; and the proposals, if any, he has to amend the law to ensure that the General Register Office accurately details a child's parentage and can amend birth entries to comply with court orders as to parentage. [2347/98]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen)

The matter referred to by the Deputy has brought to light the absence of a specific statutory procedure to facilitate reregistration of a birth under the provisions of section 7A of the Births and Deaths Registration Act (Ireland) of 1880, as amended, in circumstances where the husband of the mother of the child had been registered as father of a child in the Register of Births. As has been indicated by my colleague, the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, in reply to a question in this House on 26 November 1997 said his Department has recently taken over responsibility for the legislation relating to the General Register Office and are currently reviewing that legislation. I understand that on completion of that review his Department will consider further legislative requirements and that any proposals put forward by my Department will be discussed in that context.