185 newborns were registered as having an unknown father last year, Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia said in reply to a parliamentary question.

The question was asked by Labour MP Chris Agius.  

In November last year, Mr Agius had insisted in Parliament that so-called unknown fathers must shoulder responsibility for their children.

He said that the State should step in and ensure that so-called “unknown fathers” shouldered responsibility for their children and the mothers, as far as possible.

And in a bid to fight school absenteeism, he also recommended a study on the possibility of linking payment of children’s allowances to children’s school attendance.

Speaking during the Budget, he said the phenomenon of unknown fathers needed to be taken seriously, especially when fathers were present for their children’s birth.

Such people needed to be made to shoulder their responsibilities, because it was hard for a single parent to live on social benefits.

The current situation should not be allowed to continue.

Figures issued in October 2012 showed that over the previous 10 years 2,776 babies were registered as having an unknown father. In 1,412 cases the mother was in her 20s. There were 905 babies registered as having unknown fathers to mothers under 19.

Most of the mothers were from Birkirkara, followed by Cospicua, St Paul’s Bay, Qormi and Valletta.