Fathers to be named on all birth certs

It will be compulsory to register the name of the father on all birth certificates here under new legislation to be enacted before the end of the year.

The Civil Registration (Amendment) Bill 2014 will modernise the civil registration service to ensure the compulsory registration of the father’s name on birth certificates, to prevent marriages of convenience, record of deaths of Irish people who die abroad and validate marriages and civil partnerships carried out by people in their country’s embassy in Ireland.

Commenting on the new legislation, the minister of state at the department of social protection, Kevin Humphreys, said ensuring people have a right to their identity was a key principle of the legislation.