Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Tánaiste to the House and congratulate her on her election as leader of the Labour Party. Her leadership and judgment as a female marks new territory in this country, particularly for the Labour Party. I wish the Tánaiste well in the future.

I welcome this Bill. I thank the Tánaiste for acknowledging my work in relation to a particular section of this Bill, namely, that dealing with the registration in Ireland of the death abroad of Irish people. This morning, I spoke to a family in Galway for whom this weekend marks the fifth anniversary of the death of a 22 year old son while on a student visa in the USA. It was wonderful to hear the mother, who at a meeting of the committee on social protection during the last term called for this to be addressed, say that this will make his death easier on her. This issue has also been raised by another mother from Galway and the wife of a man who died while abroad in the Middle East. I am particularly close to one of the families affected. I thank the Tánaiste for listening and for introducing me to the registrar. When I first spoke to him, I thought I was knocking my head against a brick wall. However, to be fair to the Tánaiste she did assure me that a memorandum on the matter had been brought to Cabinet and that it was only a matter of time before this issue was addressed. It is not easy to have to repeatedly tell a family something is going to happen when in fact nothing is happening. However, it will now happen under this legislation. This will be of help to many grieving families and will bring closure for them. I am delighted about that.

A great deal of work has been put into the drafting of this Bill, which deals with the registration of important life events and human issues. Much of what is proposed is overdue, in particular compulsory registration of the father's name on birth certificates. I was struck by the fact that in 2013, 2,675 births registered included no father's name. In this regard, the child is the one with no voice. I support of the right of a child to know his or her identity. This legislation provides for that. Other speakers have spoken about how sometimes information in relation to a child's identity may be withheld for the safety of the child. However, the underlying principle of what is proposed is correct. It is time to provide in law that both parents names be listed on a birth certificate and to acknowledge that this is in the best interests of the child. This will be welcomed by many fathers who have fought for their rights in this regard. Equally, many fathers have run away from their responsibility in this regard. Will further legislation be introduced in terms of follow-up of fathers to ensure they meet their duties and responsibilities as fathers? I believe this is an issue that ties in with the Tánaiste's brief in terms of social protection.

Senator Ó Clochartaigh and I have argued for a reversal of the cut in the one-parent allowance, be the parent a mother or father. We would not have to be arguing about this cut if two parents were taking responsibility for their children. I would welcome a response on that issue from the Tánaiste as Minister for Social Protection, which I compliment her on retaining. It is good to see Ministers, particularly when they become Tánaiste, maintain continuity in Cabinet. Taking over responsibility for a new portfolio can be difficult.

Another issue of concern for me is the right to birth certificates of adopted persons. Perhaps when responding the Tánaiste will clarify the situation highlighted by Senator Moloney in terms of the inclusion on the birth certificate of the father's name. I have a vested interest in this issue in that I have two children who are adopted. I hope that when they pass the age of 18 years they will have a right to their own records. I believe this is a human rights issue. As Senator Power said, it is crucial that a person would know his or her identity and, more important, have access to information such as medical records. In my view - others may not agree with me on this - this information should not be made available to a child until such time as he or she is at least 18 years of age. I say this because one's teenage years are tough. During that time, a child goes through many challenges, including puberty and so on. I am not so sure that making this information available to a child prior to his or her reaching 18 years of age would be a good idea.

I will be very happy to hear the Minister's views on that.

I completely agree with Senators Conway and Ó Clochartaigh on direct provision. Having done work with refugees in a previous role, and knowing that many refugees in direct provision live with their families in the same room, I believe direct provision will be the scandal of the future. We are very naïve if we believe abuse does not happen in such circumstances. It is worth putting this on record, and I am glad I have done so. We should not move forward blindly in this area. I compliment the Minister.