Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

On the basis of the information, the registrar will make all reasonable attempts to contact the man named as the father and request him to provide particulars in regard to the birth. That is the key. There is an element of natural justice here. Before somebody's name appears on the birth certificate, he must be contacted and confirmation, information and evidence must be given. For somebody not to be informed or contacted, and for it not to be ascertained whether he agrees he is the father, is questionable.

If the mother of the child attends with the Registrar, and she gives the last known address, telephone number, e-mail address, etc., the Registrar will do his absolute best to identify and contact the father and ensure that the father's name is on the birth certificate. Were somebody to arrive into the Lombard Street office, as it would be in Dublin, stating, "Kevin Humphreys is the father of the child", with no contact made with Kevin Humphreys to ask is he the father of the child or had he any contact, there has to be some sense of natural justice that the person would be contacted and told that his name is going on the birth certificate to state he is the father. Unless such contact is made, it would be difficult to sustain in natural justice. We must ensure that the register is robust and that the father is contacted, if at all possible, to ascertain whether or not he is the father of the child.