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Joint birth registration proposals announced

10 June 2008

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced its proposals for joint birth registration, which would give unmarried parents joint responsibility for registering their child.

Its white paper states that seven per cent of births in the UK each year are registered solely by mothers, meaning 45,000 children do not have their father named on their birth certificate.

Secretary of state for work and pensions James Purnell and secretary of state for children, schools and families Ed Balls introduce the paper, saying becoming a parent is "one of the most important and significant experiences in a person's life."

They say the aim of the registration changes is to promote child welfare and parental responsibility.

Joint birth registration means all unmarried fathers must be recorded unless it would be impossible, impractical or unreasonable to do so.

It will give unmarried mothers the right to insist the father acknowledges his responsibilities by being named on the birth certificate and, equally, gives unmarried fathers the right to insist they are registered.

The paper added: "The role of both father and mother is important to a child's development.

"By jointly registering a birth an unmarried father gets parental responsibility and can have a say in such important matters as the child’s name, medical decisions, schooling and religion."

All births in England and Wales must be registered within 42 days and this can be done at the hospital or a register office.