§ 3. Mr. Keelingasked the Minister of Health whether he will appoint a committee to inquire whether any alteration should be made in the form of birth certificate, to conceal the fact that the holder may be illegitimate or a foundling.
§ 4. Mr. John Morrisonasked the Minister of Health if he will take action to provide an abbreviated birth certificate to establish identity and certify age without the necessity of disclosing illegitimacy and the consequent handicap through life as at present.
§ 5. Mr. Eric Fletcherasked the Minister of Health whether he is prepared to make arrangements for the issue of a simplified form of birth certificate.
§ 10. Mr. Burdenasked the Minister of Health if he will give consideration to the amendment of Clause 11 of the Adoption of Children Act, 1926, to provide for the issue of a short form of certificate from the Adopted Children Register, which would give only the name, sex and date of birth and contain no reference to adoption.
§ 13. Sir Charles Edwardsasked the Minister of Health if he will look into the case of adopted children who, on leaving school and applying for work, have to produce their birth certificates, which is, in most cases, the first intimation that they are not the children of those who had brought them up and had been looked upon as their parents; and whether, as this disturbs the relationship which up to then existed and that only proof of age is required, he will consider adopting some method forgoing this which will leave the relationship as heretofore.
§ 39. Brigadier Petoasked the Minister of Health whether he has considered the advisability of an alteration to the present form of birth certificate which is the cause of much unnecessary pain to young and old who happen to be illegitimately born.
§ Mr. BevanI hope to introduce this Session a short Bill making it possible, as in Scotland, to issue, at a reduced fee, shortened birth certificates and also shortened extracts from the Adopted Children Register which will contain no reference to parentage or adoption.
§ Mr. KeelingWould not there be a tendency for someone who is legitimate to get the complete certificate to show that he is legitimate, and would not the purpose of the shortened certificate then be defeated?
§ Mr. BevanI think the hon. Member, and, I hope, the whole House, will agree, when they see the nature of the Bill, that we have got round most, of those difficulties.
§ Mr. MathersWill it be a United Kingdom Bill?
§ Mr. BevanAs I have said, this is already in operation in Scotland. It is therefore, not necessary for the Bill to apply to Scotland.