'Unknown fathers' should be made to shoulder responsibility - Labour MP

Labour MP Chris Agius said this morning that the State should step in and ensure that, as far as possible, 'single fathers' shouldered their responsibilities for their children and the mothers. Mr Agius, who was speaking in Parliament, said it was his personal view that the current situation should not be allowed to continue. He said it was a mistake for anyone to think that mothers opted to register their babies as having an 'unknown father' in order to live off social benefits. The benefits were not such as to enable anyone to live a comfortable life, he said. He recalled that he had seen a midwife on television say that most fathers were present for their children's birth. Yet, in many cases, fathers were then listed as 'unknown'. Genuine single mothers deserved proper help, Mr Agius said, but it was also about time to place responsibility on the fathers. He did not know what action the state could take, but the issue should be studied by people competent in the sector so that solutions could be proposed, he said.  Earlier this month, the parliamentary Social Affairs Committee also heard calls for action on unknown fathers. A young unmarried mother of two small children said...