Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

Parts 1 and 2 of the First Schedule set out the required particulars to be entered in the register of births and stillbirths. The Civil Registration Service is required under the Vital Statistics Act 1952 to collect information concerning life events including births. The service is required under the Act to record the marital status of the child's mother when registering a birth. It is used to determine if the presumption of paternity of the husband applies and also to determine whether section 22 of the Bill, which addresses instances in which the parents are not married, applies. To address Senator McCarthy's concerns, marital status does not appear on the birth certificate as that would be inappropriate. It is only recorded for statistical purposes.

During the extensive Committee Stage debate in the Dáil, it was stated that in the interests of equality, the marital status of the father should be included. I agreed to that proposal and provided for the requested amendment on Report Stage. Therefore, the provision the Senator seeks has been made.