Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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548. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will address a matter raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27679/18]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The current legislation governing registration of births provides only for the registration of a mother's details and a father's details. It is not possible, at present, to register the details of a birth using the term “parent”. This is provided for in section 99 of the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015, which is yet to be commenced.

In the meantime, births should continue to be registered under the current procedures and then re-registered (to have the second parent registered as “parent”) once the amending legislation has come into effect. The relevant provisions for re-registration are contained in section 95 of the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015, which amends civil registration legislation relating to registration of births, and which also is yet to be commenced.

A number of amendments to civil registration legislation, including those referred to above, remain to be commenced pending the roll-out of training to staff of the Civil Registration Service who are employees of the HSE. The General Register Office is in a position to begin provision of training as soon as the HSE notifies it of the dates and venues. Discussions to commence the training are well advanced and it should hopefully commence shortly.

I welcome the initiative today by my colleague, Minister Harris, to bring forward two minor amendments to the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 that will allow for commencement of Parts 2 and 3 of that Act, dealing with Donor-Assisted Human Reproduction.