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Updated 11pm
JUSTICE MINISTER ALAN Shatter has, today, published the General Scheme of the long-anticipated Children and Family Relationships Bill.
The proposed legislation, which would clarify the legal status of children in in civil partnerships, surrogacy arrangements and assisted human reproduction, will now go forward for discussion at Oireachtas committee level.
The new laws will allow civil partners to jointly adopt a child for the first time.
According to the Minister, this measure “removes the current anomaly where single lesbian and gay individuals can adopt children, but civil partners cannot jointly adopt”.
Today’s law relating to adoption provides for the adoption of children by married couples and by single persons (irrespective of their sexual orientation), but not jointly by civil partners.
Shatter has asked the Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality – in conjunction with members of the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children – to undertake a consultation process on his proposals for the Bill.
The cross-party TDs and Senators will have until Easter to furnish any observations to his department before the outlined proposals which, according to the Minister, “seek to put in place a modern legal architecture to underpin family situations”.
Not a one-fit-for-all
(Fine Gael/YouTube)
“Families not only include co-habiting married families and single parent families but also families where the care of children is provided by a parent together with a step parent, or by extended family members or families based on cohabiting couples and families based on civil partnerships,” Shatter continued.
“The draft Bill, published today, seeks to provide legal clarity for all families in terms of their parental rights and responsibilities with a central focus on ‘the best interests of the child’.
“The proposals published today provide the basis for a consultation on a clear pathway for parentage and guardianship of children living in all family types.”
Shatter said the issues of assisted human reproduction and surrogacy have been ignored for “too long”.
“In the area of surrogacy it provides for court oversight in the making of declarations of parentage to ensure that future surrogacy arrangements are consensual, altruistic and non-commercial,” he explained.
Estranged parents
“My main concern is the child,” added Shatter. “These proposals put the child’s welfare and best interests at the heart of decisions on parentage, guardianship, custody and access. Where parents are estranged or living apart, I want to enable both parents, where possible, to maintain a meaningful relationship with their child.”
The General Scheme of the legislation also allows for easier access for grandparents and relatives in the situation of a relationship breakdown.
Practically, the proposed laws will see step-parents (who care for a child on a daily basis) to sign a school note or consent to emergency medical treatment. It will also facilitate step-parents of children born outside marriage in getting rights and responsibilities following their marriage to a child’s biological parent.
“It will no longer be necessary, as currently happens, for a biological single parent to jointly adopt his or her own child following marriage, together with their marital partner, for this to occur. However, the draft Bill does not create any barrier to such adoptions being effected.”
The Bill will also “spell out in detail for the first time in Irish law the rights and responsibilities of guardians of children”.
Shatter hopes the Bill will be enacted before the end of this year and ahead of next year’s referendum on same-sex marriage.
He believes it will lead to a “new Act relating to children and family relationships that is both comprehensive and child friendly”.
- First published 2.34pm
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He only went in for a sliced pan. Left with ‘cashmere’ jumper, 2 fishing rods, a hedge trimmer and a 24 piece socket set.
@Jamie Roche: and waited haft an hour at the till to pay for them!
@David: while listening to the constant beep beep beep from various checkouts
Once you hear them they can’t be unheard
@Jamie Roche: https://youtu.be/Jxl8P1fNT9Y
@Jamie: Beeps from checkouts (plural).
That implies more than one checkout open – are you sure you were in Lidl?
@Alan Lawlor: yeah lidl have 10 checkouts but 7 are just for show
Next you’ll be telling me that the drill I bought for 30 quid isn’t as good as the DeWalt one my spark friend has!!!
The guy that complained needs to got out a bit more !
@David Conroy: He had intended to hence the purchase of a jumper
They leave liddle clues in the small print!
@winston smith: they leave liddle clues in the price.
If the price looks too good to be true, then it probably isn’t
@Alan Lawlor:
I that no you mean ‘then it probably is’
@Nick Allen:
Think
What does he expect? It’s lidl, not ******* Armani.
@Rodan: Although you wouldn’t break the bank on that either these days…
How do you even make a jumper just 3% cashmere!? It’s impressive really..
@Rick Mooney: only the label was Cashmere !
Extremely interesting and worthwhile article!
Lidl Irish Cheese with all the flavours of Ireland, Made in Czech Republic
“A different but also shocked man” … No way
He was having difficulty paying mere cash for real cash mere!!!
Oasis whats in the “full bodied red wine”
My pet hate is the scratchy fabric they make the washing instructions out of. I always have to cut them off jumpers as they irritate my neck and sometimes this can damage the jumper as they are sewn in. I asked the ASAI before how jumpers can be described as 100% cotton when the label is not cotton but they didn’t follow it up probably because it is so common in the clothing industry whereas here they could just target one particular jumper in one store. Still, it’s no less annoying. I also hate advertisements for broadband etc that say EUR40 per month in sky high letters but then “reverts to EUR90 per month after six months” written in the small print when it’s a 2 year contract that are locked in to. They should only be allowed to advertise the average cost per month over contract.
Now really,who in their right mind believes that they are getting a cashmere sweater for 16.99?
D4 heads sipping a glass of water in cafe en seine wearing a lidl cashmere sweater,secretly bought in Lidl!
Will certainly not stop me from shopping in Lidl
Moron needs to get a life. It is not America we live in. He also complained to kettle manufacturers that the water boils
He is correct to complain on principle and the regulator agreed. Organisations need to be held to account when they mislead, I wish we didn’t have such an unhealthy relationship with criticism in this country. Attitudes like yours are exactly why so many things are overpriced and underperforming in this country, because people are willing to put up with less.
“A different but also shocked man” lol very reminiscent of the Viz . All you needed was to add ” recently ” at the end of the sentence lol
Brain is as sensitive as his skin but still had the neck to complain
I find the ruling ridiculous. If it said “cashmere”, I, as customer, would expect it be made of 100% cashmere! therefore Lidl should have been found guilty of premeditated misleading!
What’s the man in the picture shocked about? Something big must have happened him too
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