Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I refer the Deputy to the following definition in section 2:

"family" means spouse, parent, grandparent, step-parent, child (including a step-child), grandchild, brother, sister, half-brother, half-sister, and any other person who, in the opinion of the Agency, has a bona fide interest in the child;"

It is a broad definition that encompasses a wide group of people who might have concerns about a child. The same applies to the definition of "couple" in the same section:

"couple" means—

(a) a married couple,
(b) civil partners within the meaning of the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010,
(c) a man and woman who are not married to each other but are cohabiting as husband and wife, or
(d) two persons of the same sex who are cohabiting in domestic circumstances comparable to that of a man and woman who are not married to each other but are cohabiting as husband and wife;

The definitions are designed to be broad, and accepting the amendment would detract from that.