Welfare Reform Bill

Part of the debate – in a Public Bill Committee at 12:00 pm on 12 February 2009.

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Photo of Meg Munn Meg Munn Labour, Sheffield, Heeley 12:00, 12 February 2009

I am as concerned as the next person about the safety of children, but it is really important to divorce the issue of the name of the father and who he is from the issue of protecting children from a father with whom they should not have contact.  Dealing with the issues for a child who has not had contact with their father, when that father is somebody who should not have contact with children, is entirely separate from the right to have that person named on the birth certificate. I am a little worried that some of the dialogue and discussion on this seems to focus on saying, “You can’t possibly have the name of the father on the certificate because that will pose a risk to the child.” That should not be the case. Adopted children can, at a certain stage, see their original birth certificate and find out who their birth parents were, even though, for whatever reason, they no longer live with them. Can you respond to that and put my concerns to bed, as it were?