Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 27 Apr 1999

Vol. 503 No. 6

Written Answers. - General Register Office.

Enda Kenny

Question:

176 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Health and Children the steps, if any, he has taken since he last replied in respect of services being improved at the General Register Office; his views on whether it is appropriate to provide a leaflet to the public explaining the services provided by the office which would include a guide to the register's indexing system for greater convenience and efficiency to users; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10939/99]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen)

The administration of the registration system is a matter for An t-Ard Chláraitheoir, the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, and for local registrars who operate under his general direction.

In my reply of 22 April 1999 in relation to the General Register Office, I referred to the progress being made in relation to the scanning of the records and indexes of the General Register Office in Roscommon which, when completed, will provide for the development of a range of services. I also referred to the programmes for the maintenance of the printed indexes to the records.

There are a number of leaflets available from the General Register Office dealing with different aspects of the registration services, including leaflets on birth registration, stillbirth registration and the re-registration of births. There are also leaflets regarding the solemnisation of marriage in Ireland, records held by An tArd Chláraitheoir including a guide to searching the indexes to the records and addresses of the other main repositories of records of genealogical interest. These leaflets are subject to review as the necessity arises.

In addition to the leaflets which are available without charge there are a limited number of copies of a booklet Registering the People published in 1995, which,inter alia, sets out some historical information about the development of the registration service and also gives brief notes on other sources of genealogical information. This publication is available at a nominal charge of £1.