Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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227. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if there are legislative provisions under which the death of unborn children, other than stillborn, may be registered by the State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44580/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The loss of a child in any circumstances is an extremely tragic event for a family and I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to those families who have lost children. The procedures governing the registration of deaths are provided for under Part 5 of the Civil Registration Act, 2004. When a death occurs it is registered on foot of a certificate of cause of death supplied by a registered medical practitioner. Where a death is referred to a coroner, the death is registered by a registrar on foot of a coroner's certificate. These are the only circumstances under which a death can be registered. While acknowledging that the loss of an unborn child is very sad for the family concerned it would not be practical or feasible to establish and maintain a register of deaths in such cases.