DEPARTMENT FOR WORK
AND PENSIONS News Release (ReferenceHSC - 028) issued by The
Government News Network on 26 June 2007
The Government
today set out proposals to require unmarried parents to jointly
register the birth of their children. The Green Paper Joint Birth
Registration: promoting parental responsibility proposes that
unmarried fathers may face penalties for refusing to be named on
their child's birth certificate.
Currently, for unmarried parents, the responsibility to register
a new baby lies solely with the mother, and it is only the mother
who faces penalties if she does not comply.
As more and more parents choose not to marry, it is essential
that the registration system supports the wider Government
programme to encourage shared parental responsibility, good
parenting and fatherhood.
Secretary for Work and Pensions, John Hutton said:
"More and more children are now born outside marriage but
the current registration system does little to encourage the
rights and responsibilities of parenthood for both mothers and fathers.
"We want to significantly reduce the numbers of children
with no Dad on their birth certificate to help make sure that even
when relationships break down, this fundamental responsibility
remains as important as ever.
"We know that fathers involved from the birth of their child
are more likely to stay in contact and be involved in their
child's upbringing. However, for the few who try to avoid
their responsibilities, being named on the birth certificate will
make it easier to find him and claim the child maintenance he owes."
This Government is committed to reducing sole-registrations as
research shows that it is linked to social exclusion. Mothers who
register solely are likely to be younger and poorer, with lower
levels of educational attainment than those who jointly register.
In 2006, seven per cent of births were registered to only one
parent but nearly half of the fathers were still in regular
contact with their child. In Australia a similar approach has
coincided with a significant decrease in the level of sole birth
registrations of approximately 20 per cent between 1994 and 2004.
The Green Paper makes a firm commitment that legislation will
only be changed if such robust and effective safeguards can be put
in place. The proposals contain a series of measures to protect
vulnerable mothers and children, such as in cases of rape or abuse.
Notes to editors
1) Last year the Government set out its intention to make joint
birth registration a legal requirement in the White Paper "A
New System of Child Maintenance". The White Paper set out a
new approach that would empower parents to take responsibility for
making their own maintenance arrangements but provide radically
strengthened enforcement powers to chase down those who fail to
pay. The White Paper can be found at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/childmaintenance
2) Today's Green Paper The Green Paper Joint Birth
Registration: promoting parental responsibility can be found at:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/childmaintenance
3) The number of children born outside of marriage has quadrupled
in the last forty years to 275,000. One in five of these children
do not have a father named on their birth certificate.
4) Characteristics of Sole Registered births and the mothers who
register them - ONS (2004) can be found at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/articles/population_trends/PT117CharacteristicsofSole.pdf
Website http://www.dwp.gov.uk