Susan O'Keeffe (Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is very welcome to the House. This Bill is very welcome. I think Senator Mooney rightly spoke about its humanity. It is very clear that humanity is at the heart of this Bill. The issue of identity is at the core of much of it. Various people have spoken about the placing of the father's name on the birth certificate. Of course, it is dear to the Minister's heart. I know there will be exceptions and I obviously share some of the concerns about how those exceptions will be made and the matters surround that. While it is very clear that the father's name should be on the birth certificate in respect of the rights of the child, there are moments when that will cause great difficulty. It is something about which we would like more clarity because it is important to get it, which is the purpose of this Bill. We all want to get this right because the fact that we are doing it is very significant and timely.

In respect of marriages of convenience, I recall when living in Greece many moons ago becoming subject to somebody who wished to marry me in order to come to and live in Ireland. Looking back, it makes me smile but it was not a smiling matter at the time. It was rather odd.