Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Children and Family Relationships Bill. There are many good sections in the Bill, but I have some concerns about it. In order to get this right, we must make sure that children are the paramount consideration and that what we decide here for the future of children is done in the proper way.

I have concerns about unmarried fathers, who in my opinion are not recognised, and we need to address that issue by way of amendments or whatever.

I am aware from talking to people in my constituency that there is a view that when marriages or partnerships get into trouble and there are children involved, the man should automatically leave the home. There seems to be the view also that men are treated as second-class citizens in the courts. I do not condone anyone being abusive or not being a good father, but the view expressed to me on several occasions is that men are not listened to when they go to court. I hope that as a Parliament we address that issue, and that we give equal rights to men. I would be the first to say that women were not treated properly in the past, but we seem to have gone to the other side of the fence on that. I have come across some harrowing cases in which people were suffering major distress as a result of what was going on. Some common sense would resolve many of those issues.

The types of family in Ireland are changing. There are approximately 200,000 single mothers, and we have to recognise all of that. A fear I have would be if a relationship broke up and one of the couple found a new partner, the original father might lose the right to make decisions. The natural father or mother must be recognised in this Bill.

Deputy Shatter said in his contribution that parts of the Bill he had put together have been left out. Why did that happen? I know the passage of Bills through these Houses takes time but we must make sure that in doing that we get it right once and for all, even if it requires extra time.

We talk about looking after children, but we have not even built the national children's hospital to care for children from all parts of the country. We have also had cuts in schools and so on. We may be legislating for this one area now, but as a State we have decided to be good at paperwork on the one hand, while on the other hand failing children as they are growing up.

I am not against the Bill, but I want to highlight some reservations.

There is a general perception, and I am of that view myself, that one-parent families may find things difficult. I lost my mother when I was ten years old. In talking to my father later on, he said he had found it difficult in that he had to bring in someone to talk to my older sisters about the different phases of life. It should be recognised that it is not all just black and white, and that not everyone can go through the different parts of life on their own.

I will not say I am against the Bill, but I would ask a question about two gentlemen, especially, bringing up a young girl. There is difficulty involved, so there should be some flexibility if they need help in talking to their children when they are growing up. One could bring in an aunt or whatever, but all of these matters should be accommodated, because it is not as simple as a, b and c. I am not living in the old world, but these are things one goes through as one grows up. This is something we should take on board as we discuss the legislation.

Children are paramount in this Bill, so their views should be taken on board. Last week, I was told about two children, aged ten and 14, who wanted to live with one of their parents but were frustrated because their voices were not being heard. The Supreme Court has ruled that the voice of any child over eight should be listened to. It is important to do so in order to ensure that children are happy in their future lives. That is basically the most important thing of all. Children have a right to know who their parents are.

There are some very good measures in the Bill, which is a complex piece of legislation, although I know we cannot solve all problems all the time. I intend to table some amendments on Committee Stage to address a number of concerns I have about the legislation.

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