Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)

Approximately 3,000 marriages of foreign couples are now invalid and illegal. The General Register Office has informed the foreign embassies that marriages performed by the diplomatic missions were not recognised under the 2004 Civil Registration Act, which came into force on 5 November 2007. This is vital to those 3,000 marriages and the children who have emerged from those marriages who will be declared outside of wedlock. It is a serious situation. We should bring about an amendment to the Act that would recognise those marriages as having taken place abroad on the normal basis. I ask the Deputy Leader to request that the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Ó Cuív - the register was under the Department of Health and Children previously but it has moved - would come into the House. It would provide an opportunity for this House to deal with current issues of importance to people. I hope that the Deputy Leader will arrange this with the Minister, Deputy Ó Cuív, who I am sure would be anxious to come in early next week.