Senator Sharon Keogan

Section 6 of the Civil Registration (Amendment) Act 2014, which concerns the registration of a child’s father where the parents are not married, has not yet been enacted nine years on from its approval by the Oireachtas.

The section sets out that a new mother, if she attends the registry office alone, is required to name the father of the child, with limited exceptions applying. Registration of the father will then be dependent on the man acknowledging paternity of the child.

Earlier this week, Senator Sharon Keogan challenged the government in the Seanad over its failure to enact the “practical and common-sense provisions”, which she said would “allow people in the future to be able to trace their lineage back”.

She added: “It is important for the fathers out there. This is important legislation to ensure their names go on birth certificates. They have been waiting for this legislation for nine years. The urgency is there for these fathers… not having that name on the birth certificate does not give them the rights that they deserve.”

Neale Richmond, minister of state at the Department of Social Protection, said the law was set back by the discovering of a “technical error” prior to commencement, which will be addressed in the forthcoming Civil Registration (Electronic Registration) Bill.