Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I understand what she is saying. That should not be used against everybody. She said a particular phenomenon should be used to rule out a right for everybody. As Deputy Shortall said, does she have evidence that unmarried fathers are more likely than married fathers to be violent? What does evidence does she have to back up her claim? I am not aware of any such evidence.

Many other types of guardians, other than parents, are mentioned in the Bill. The same criteria being applied to unmarried fathers is not being applied to them. Certain criteria are being applied because of marital status, something with which I have a problem.

I asked whether the Bill could be retrospective and what was being done for people who will not receive retrospective recognition. I welcome amendment No. 83. If a registrar receives declarations, will he or she be able to keep them? Will they be recorded in any way? How will such records be kept? I see no provision for such things in the Bill.

Deputy Shortall made a good point. The discourse in society is about equality, which is very welcome, but not if one is an unmarried father. In such cases, equality is not even being argued for, apart from individuals in the Chamber and those outside who are very much in the minority. The issue is not, as far as I can see, being debated in the media. There is one group we seem to think against which it is fine to discriminate, namely, unmarried fathers.

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