Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 169: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she is satisfied that the registration system for births is robust and free of fraud; the actions her Department has taken to quality assure the service; if she has further satisfied herself that language skills within the service are adequate and that information provision about the service is adequate. [26267/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The legislative provisions governing the registration of births are contained in the Civil Registration Act, 2004. Where a birth occurs in the State, it is the duty of the hospital to notify the Registrar General of the facts of the birth. Where a birth takes place other than in a hospital or nursing home, and the birth was attended by a medical practitioner or midwife, it is the duty of that person to notify the Registrar General of the facts of the birth. This ensures that the facts concerning virtually all births occurring in the State are independently notified to the Registrar General. Births which have not occurred in a hospital or nursing home, or which were not attended by a registered medical practitioner or a midwife, are extremely rare. In such cases, every effort is made to independently establish the facts of the birth. When the parents present at the registrar's office to register the birth, the registrar will already be in possession of the independent birth notification.

Under section 19 of the Civil Registration Act, the primary responsibility for registering a birth rests with the parents. It is only when the parents are dead or cannot be found that another qualified informant may register a birth. When the parents and the registrar are satisfied that the facts to be entered in the register are correct and complete, the parents must sign the register in the presence of the registrar to complete the registration process.

At the time of registration, the qualified informants must present evidence of identity, which is typically a passport or driving licence. Where parents indicate that they are married, verification of their marital status is made by examination of their marriage certificate. The Personal Public Service Number of the parent or parents is a required particular for registration.

Section 69 of the Civil Registration Act provides for offences, which include a failure by a registrar to protect the integrity of the register and a failure by the parents to comply with their statutory obligations under the Act, including the obligation to provide accurate information to the to the registrar. These obligations are explained to parents as part of the registration process Where an error or omission has occurred in a registered entry, the Act provides for the correction of errors on the basis of statutory declarations and other independent evidence as to the facts of the matter. On the basis of the foregoing, I am satisfied that all reasonable measures are in place to preserve and protect the integrity of the register of births.

Comprehensive guidance notes are available to members of the public in respect of the registration procedures and requirements, and these are widely available from registrars' offices, voluntary and community organisations, and from the websites of the General Register Office (www.groireland.ie) and the Health Service Executive (www.hse.ie). The documentation has been translated into the eight most widely spoken non-indigenous languages, including Polish, Arabic, Mandarin and Russian. Where parents are unable to understand the registration process, for reasons of language, arrangements can be made to have a person present who understands the language of the parents.