Seanad debates

Thursday, 26 March 2015

Children and Family Relationships Bill 2015: Committee Stage

 

10:30 am

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

This section requires an expert to report to the best interests of the child in order to assign parentage. I have made provision that the court must be satisfied that the order is in the best interests of a minor child, as it is generally for a child to have security in his or her family relationships. However, the order is generally to be made on the facts of the case, as set out, rather than on a wide-ranging investigation of the child’s best interests. The child’s views must be considered in guardianship, custody or access applications but parentage, the topic of this section, is rather different in that it turns primarily on the facts and the child does not have all of that relevant information at that point.

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