The Irish Times - Friday, August 13, 2010

White to look at issue of single fathers' rights

Minister for Equality Mary White has indicated the plight of unmarried and separated fathers who have difficulty getting access to their children is to be addressed in the near future.

Speaking yesterday, she hinted the legal framework addressing this area is outdated and needs to be modernised. "I believe the time is right to take another look at the issue of single fathers' rights. We should consider key issues such as: whether it would be appropriate to introduce compulsory joint registration of the birth of a child in Ireland; whether a non-marital father could provide his details independently to the registrar to be registered once it is confirmed that he is the father; and whether we should look at the appropriateness of introducing automatic guardianship/parental responsibility for all fathers in Ireland," she said.

Ms White's comments come as the Law Reform Commission prepares to publish a report, Legal Aspects of Family Relationships, within weeks.