Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

On amendment No. 9, the section deals with the staff of the civil registration authorities which are the health boards, including registrars. The reference to section 57 of the repealed Act is no longer required. These references were required to be retained in the Bill published in July 2003 as the amendments to Part 6 and the related repeal of provisions for dispensing with residence and notice of marriage to a registrar under the Marriages (Ireland) Act 1844 did not form part of the Bill at that time. In the context of repealing a range of enactments arising from the inclusion of the additional sections of the Bill relating to marriage law, it is no longer necessary to retain such references.

Amendment No. 8 relates to the staff of the registration authorities. Subsection (4) provides that the functions of the registrars appointed under this Bill will correspond to those that currently exist. This measure ensures that the health board personnel who work as registrars are in a position to continue to undertake their work without being interrupted by the implementation of the provisions of the Bill when enacted. Accepting the amendments as worded would have the effect of disrupting the continuance of the registration service, which is the opposite to what we all intend. Deputies will recall that there was considerable debate on Committee Stage on the functions of registrars and the references to the 1844 Act. As I said, I am bringing forward an amendment under section 9 which will mean that section 57 of the Act of 1844 in section 17(4) is no longer relevant. Under the provisions of the Bill, registrars will perform a wide range of functions in the registration of different life events. In order to aid overall clarity the individual responsibilities associated with each life event are specified in the relevant part and section of the Bill. Therefore, I am not in a position to accept the amendment as worded.

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