Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

If the question I am about to ask has already been dealt with, that is fine. Let us consider the case of a couple who deliberately decide not to marry. If they have a child, the father must apply to become his or her guardian. Are our guests of the view that having the father named on the birth certificate should be sufficient for these rights to flow to him rather than being obliged to apply to be the child's guardian by completing the relevant statutory form? If a couple deliberately decide not to marry, would it make matters easier if the father had automatic entitlements as a result of being registered on the birth certificate?