Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)

I welcome the debate on the Bill. It is important to address the issues in a professional and objective way. While the Bill is essentially a technical one, it is important that we deal with it.

I agree with what my colleagues said about rushed legislation. It is important that sufficient time is allocated because it is evident that rushed legislation can be flawed legislation. We must address this serious matter. As legislators we have a duty and responsibility to deal with Bills in a careful and considered way. I have concerns about this because sometimes this does not happen in the House.

When one considers the Civil Registration (Amendment) Bill and looks as the detail one finds:

The Bill provides for an amendment to the Civil Registration Act 2004, to permit the continued payment of specified fees and allowances to registrars of births, deaths and marriages who are not employed by the Health Service Executive, and to persons employed by the Health Service Executive who are not assigned as registrars on a full-time basis to the office of a Superintendent Registrar.

Then upon commencement of any parts of the Civil Registration Act 2004:

the existing provisions for payment of fees and allowances for these registrars will be repealed. Commencement must include the relevant repeals to avoid duplication and possible conflict of legislation.

Then when one looks at the provisions of the Bill, one finds that the Bill contains one substantive provision, section 1 to amend the 2004 Act. This provision will allow for the continued payment of specified fees and allowances. Section 2 contains standard provisions in legislation, that is the short title and collective citation.

I welcome the fact, in dealing with the financial implications, that it is not expected that the Act will give rise to any additional costs. Is this the reality, or is it just a vision for the legislation? Will the legislation be implemented in a professional and objective way without additional costs? The Minister must examine this matter closely.

On the staffing implications, it says in the explanatory memorandum: "The Act will not give rise to any additional staffing requirements." It is important that we would deal with this issue. One must ensure an adequate number of public servants to deal with the registration of births and deaths in a professional manner. More importantly, one must ensure the staff working in this area act in a caring manner. Serious complaints were recently made about the provision of services. In some cases people with disabilities do not get the services they require and their families are not treated in a very professional or caring way.

I was horrified to get a phone call last week from a victim of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings who was seriously injured and whose father was killed by a bomb on Parnell Street, who submitted a bill from a consultant for in the region of €800. There was a problem in getting it through the system and a big deal was made of it. We must ensure that those directly involved with people in public services treat people with respect and dignity. It is not acceptable for people to be treated badly by any public servant. However, last week I heard of the opposite experience where a staff member in the Department of Social and Family Affairs treated an elderly, disabled woman in a nursing home in a very caring, professional way.

In regard to this and other legislation, we should tap into examples of good practice in the public service and try to ensure that all those dealing with the public, especially the disadvantaged, people with disabilities, victims of violence and so on, are treated in a caring and professional way. It is important that I refer to these issues in this debate. Even though the Bill is a technical one, it is important that we touch on these topics. I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the discussion on the Bill.

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