Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator and I sympathise with the family involved. Deputy Ciara Conway also spoke to me today on this matter. The circumstances are very tragic. I do not want to say anything during this debate that would add to the family’s distress. The photograph the Senator showed me before I came into the House will stay with me for a long time. I can well understand the family’s distress. While they will never forget, I hope it gets a bit easier for them as the days go by.

I do not propose to accept the amendment. The procedure governing the registration of deaths is provided for under Part 5 of the Civil Registration Act 2004 and under section 41 where a death is referred to a coroner and the death is registered by a registrar on foot of a certificate provided by the coroner containing the required particulars of the death. The registrar is a lay person. I do not want to get too tied up in the wording.

My Department has also brought this case to the attention of the Department of Justice and Equality. Coroners are independent but the service comes under the remit of that Department. The Senator has written to the Department which will reply shortly.

I will not accept amendment No. 3. The registration of stillbirths was first provided for in the Stillbirths Registration Act 1994. The definition of a stillbirth contained in the Act was carried forward to the Civil Registration Act 2004 and the registration of stillbirths is provided for in section 28 of that Act. The Senator read out the definition and I do not propose to read it out again because I do not want to create any distress for anybody here today. I will meet the Senator and speak to him again but I am not proposing to accept the amendments.