Written questions

Registration of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships

Commons · Question 43518 · Tabled 2 Apr 2025 · Ministry of Justice · Official record

Answered 7 Apr 2025

Question

Asked by Liz Saville Roberts

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the names of deceased fathers can be included on birth certificates in instances where the parents were unmarried prior to his death.

Answer

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones, 7 Apr 2025

Under Section 55A of the Family Law Act 1986, in situations where a child is born to unmarried parents, and the father dies prior to the birth, a Declaration of Parentage must be issued by the court in order for the paternity to be established. Once a dec...