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The main outcome of the establishment of Saor Stát Éireann in 1922 was the restructuring of the registration system to provide separate and independent registration system for each of the two new states of Ireland . The establishment of the office of the Registrar-General, Belfast provided separate administration for Northern Ireland under the newly created post of Registrar General for Northern Ireland . At same time the Adaptation of Enactment's Act, 1922 ensured the continuance of the legislative base for registration for the rest of the country. The responsibility hitherto exercised by the Lord Lieutenant was transferred to the Minister for Local Government and Public Health by the Ministers and Secretarys Act 1924 and later to the Minister for Health, when the Department of Health was established as a separate entity in 1946.
The registration procedures in Ireland have remained largely unchanged although some changes have been introduced. The Legitimacy Act of 1931 made provision for the re-registration of children born prior to the marriage of their parents. The naming of the father in birth entries where the parents were not married to each other continued to be a problem until the passing of the Status of Children Act 1987. The Register of Adopted Children was introduced in 1951. The Short Birth Certificate Regulations of 1953 provided for a common extract from the Register of Births and the Adopted Children Register which were to be used for many civil purposes.
The Births, Deaths and Marriages Act 1972 made changes in the structure of the registration system by assigning to the new eight regional health boards, created by the Health Act 1970, the office of Superintendent Registrar and the responsibility for making appointments of Registrars of Births, Deaths and (Roman Catholic) Marriages. Some minor changes were also made to the Marriages Acts. In 1956 the format of entries in the marriage registers were amended to omit the "rank or profession of the father" of the bride and groom, and record mother's maiden name. The Marriage Act 1972, raised the minimum age for marriage to 16 years (the approval of the High Court has to be obtained in order to marry at a lower age). That Act also made provision for the registration of marriages which had occurred in Lourdes , France prior to its enactment. This was to resolve the difficulty of a significant group of Irish citizens who had married in Lourdes over the years, according to the rites and ceremonies of the Catholic Church but who subsequently found that, because the local civil procedures had not been observed, these marriages were not registerable in France.
A system for the registration of the births of stillborn children in a new register was introduced with effect from 1 January 1995.
The production of statistical reports based on the information recorded at the time of registration of birth, marriage and death events, which was a function of the Registrar General under the Registrations Acts, was transferred to the new Central Statistics Office by the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1953. That Act also changed the title of "Registrar-General" to "An tArd-Chláraitheoir" and also changed his Seal from the original elaborate seal which cited the Victorian Acts and bore a coat of arms depicting a crown surmounting a lion and a unicorn to a simpler device comprising of the Irish harp with the words "Oifig an Ard-Chláraitheora".(Office of the Registrar General).
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In the 21st century the registration service is facing challenges posed by the need to modernise the registration system. The changed circumstances of the contemporary world, changes in technology and changes in people's expectations means that a radical overhaul of the registration system and the legislative framework is required. Changes in society have already led to pressure to review particular aspects of the Registration Acts, for example, differences in the system for recording maternal and paternal details in the Register of Births. The Family Law Act 1995 introduced a new requirement for the service of three months notice in respect of all marriages without which marriages will be void. An interdepartmental committee under the aegis of the Department of Equality and Law Reform is currently engaged in reviewing further aspects of registration law
The possibilities offered by modern technology provide an impetus for change and the General Register Office is in the process of moving from the use of pen and ink to electronic systems. The Government decision of 1992 to move the General Register Office to Roscommon and to provide access to certified copies of the records of the Office direct through local registration offices required the conversion of the records of the office to an electronic medium. Work on this special project has been largely completed and it is now possible to obtain certified copies of all births entries (1864 to date), deaths entries from 1924 to date and marriage entries from 1920 to date from any local registration office, irrespective of the District in which the event occurred. The Headquarters of the General Register Office relocated to Roscommon in April 2005.
In addition to the conversion of the archival records to an electronic medium, the capture of all new registration records on an on-line computer system commenced in August 2003.This provides for a significant improvement in the timescale in which the record, and its associated index, is available in the General Register Office and to all local registration offices. The electronic capture of the archive material and the development of an on-line registration system required significant changes in legislation to facilitate the introduction of the new systems. The legislative changes concerned are contained in the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2002 and in the Civil Registration Act, 2004.
The Civil Registration Act 2004 is a major element of the continuing Civil Registration Modernisation Programme. The main objectives of the Act are to:-
• Rationalise and modernise the procedures for registering births, stillbirths and deaths
• Give an tArd Chláraitheoir responsibility for the overall policy for the Civil Registration Service including maintaining standards of service
• Assign responsibility for the management of the Civil Registration Service at local level to the Health Service Executive
• Streamline the procedures for the registration of adoptions
• Establish new registers of divorce and civil nullity
• Reform the procedures governing the registration of marriages, and
• Facilitate the linking of life events
Parts 1,2,3,5 and 8 of the 2004 Act relate to the administration of the Civil Registration Service and to the registration of births, stillbirths and deaths and were commenced on 5th December 2005 .
The new procedures for marriage are set out in Part 6 of the Act and include universal procedures for notification, solemnisation and registration of marriages, as well as a choice of venue for civil marriages. Before these provisions can be commenced, a substantial body of work needs to be completed, including drafting and publication of regulations, guidelines and detailed procedures; establishment of a register of solemnisers in consultation with religious bodies; establishment of a register of approved venues for civil marriages; and the further development of the computer system to facilitate the administration of the new marriage provisions introduced by the Act.
Implementation of the other provisions, relating to registration of adoptions, divorces and civil nullity, will follow commencement of the marriage provisions.
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The General Register Office is committed to the provision of a quality service
The aim of the General Register Office is to provide a quality service and to improve standards of service throughout the registration system. While there are currently some obstacles to the achievement of this aim the introduction of modern technology will make a major contribution to the improvement of standards of service. The introduction of the changes required will impose demands on staff working throughout the registration system and will require the understanding of our customers before their full benefit can be achieved. We confident however that the long term benefits to the public will be substantial.
The General Register Office is located at:
Government Offices,
Convent Road , Roscommon.
Tel: +353 (0) 90 6632900
LoCall: 1890 252076
An t-Árd Chláraitheoir (the Registrar General) is:
Mr Kieran Feely, Principal Officer with the Department of Health
The General Register Office is open to the public from 9.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday.
The telephone switch operates from 9.15am to 5.30pm Monday to Thursday and 9.15am to 5.15pm Fridays.
Other useful addresses:
For events registered in Northern Ireland since 1921
General Register Office (Belfast)
Oxford House,
49-455 Chichester Street,
Belfast
Telephone 0801232 252000
Open Monday to Friday 9.30 a.m. to 4.00 p.m.
For events registered in England and Wales
(postal applications)
The General Register Office
P.O. Box 2
Southport Merseyside PR8 2HH
Telephone: 0044 151 4714816
(personal applications and research)
The General Register Office
St. Catherine 's House
10 Kingsway
London , WC2B 6JP
Southport Merseyside PR8 2HH
Telephone: 0044 151 4714816
For events registered in Scotland
The General Register Office
New Register House
Edinburgh EH1 3JT
Scotland
Telephone: 0044 131 3340380 |
