I accept the motivations behind the amendment, but there could be unintended consequences. As I said, my officials are working their way through this at pace. However, if you run into an unexpected problem, you will run into it regardless of whether we have the amendment. The problem is that, if the amendment is in statute, it could call into question the legality of the entire process. The...
I begin by thanking all Members who have contributed to the debate on this important matter. As Members will be aware, the key aims of the Bill are, first, to place the temporary processes contained in the Coronavirus Act 2020 that enable the remote registration of deaths and stillbirths and the electronic transfer of registration documents on a permanent footing; secondly, to rectify the...
Whether there are fees or not, it is proposed that we will have a register of parents who have applied for a certificate and that we will hold that for at least five years. Some data will have to be held, obviously following sensitive and proper procedures. With or without fees, the proposal is to hold that data for at least five years. That would be the process. For those reasons, I am...
I thank the Member for those comments. He is being nice to me a lot today. Your move to the Justice Committee has done you the world of good [Laughter.] I appreciate the manner and tone in which all Members have approached the debate and the entire process. Of course, there will be differences of opinion on various matters, but Members have —.
Yes; just one second, Eóin. Members have tried their best to ensure that we approach this in a mature and dignified manner.
Again, I appreciate the Member's approach to the matter and the desire of many in the Chamber for consensus as we move forward. Amendment No 4 proposes the introduction of subsection 3A to clause 11 to specify fields, such as the name and sex of the baby, that should be included in the content of the baby loss certificate. The amendment also proposes the inclusion of a statement on the...
All Ministers need to be extremely careful about how they use Civil Service resources, which are there primarily to support delivery front-line public services and should not be used in a party political way. I heard the Minister of Education's comments in the Chamber yesterday about his engagement with his permanent secretary on the matter. My understanding is that it would be a matter for...
It is best that we await the independent inquiries of the head of the Civil Service. If I were to commission an urgent review, I would be accused of political interference. It is best that we allow the head of the Civil Service to carry out her inquiries into the matter. If, as a result of those inquiries, it becomes apparent that I, as the Finance Minister, have a role, I assure you that I...
