Vol. 493 No. 3
301 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will allocate funding to provide extra staff at the general register office at Lombard Street, Dublin 2 in order to ensure that the five weeks delay in processing applications is reduced. [16142/98]
The administration of the registration system, including the services and facilities provided at Joyce House is statutorily a matter for An tArdChláraitheoir — Registrar-General — of Births, Deaths and Marriages and for the Superintendent Registrar, Dublin and registrars who operate under this general direction. These are two separate offices located at Joyce House issuing certificates of births, deaths and marriages, the General Register Office and the above-mentioned Superintendent Registrar's office on the ground floor, which provides certificates for all births, deaths and Roman Catholic marriages occurring within the Dublin city and county area. This latter office in particular is currently experiencing a very high level of demand for certificates which had given rise to particular difficulties in recent times. Measures have been taken to improve the situation including the provision of additional accommodation and additional staff. The assignment of six additional staff to the Superintendent Registrar by the Eastern Health Board, which is responsible for the administration of that office, has increased the rate of production of certificates and this has improved the service to the customers. Further additional staff have been sanctioned by my Department for the registration service. There is also some delay dealing with postal applications for certificates of births, deaths and marriages in the General Register office. The overall staffing situation in my Department, including the General Register Officer is kept under review and a number of vacancies are in the process of being filled at present. Pressures which arise as a result of fluctuations in demand for services or temporary staff shortages are normally addressed by short periods of overtime. I understand that overtime has been approved for the General Register Office in order to address such difficulties at this time.
