Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will read to the Minister of State an email I received from a parent which demonstrates the frustration people feel.

I want to put it on the record of the Dáil because this issue is urgent and needs to be moved along. This parent says that she and her wife have been together since 2003. They married in 2009 under UK legislation. They both made the decision to have their first child in 2013. They both attended appointments. She was there when their daughter was born and through the sleepless nights and first steps. However, per the State, only her wife is a parent. In 2015, she was pregnant during the marriage equality referendum and endured all of the horrible comments about LGBTQ families but she was hopeful that the Children and Families Relationship (Amendment) Act would be progressed. For all that it seemed to be rushed through, in September when her son was born, there was still no movement on the commencement of the Act and once again she and her wife had to deal with the inconvenience, expense and annoyance of swearing an affidavit that he had only one parent to get a birth certificate or passport.

She says that problems arise when they have to travel to England. They are going over to England to see her grandparents. There is a lot of hassle. All of these families have the same experience. I understand that commencing this Act is complex and involves amending legislation but it could be moved along much more quickly with the parts put in place. Even if a date could be set, we could tell people that this is going to happen by this date or as close as possible to it. People feel a bit lost in the legislative process.

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