Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 18 May 1999

Vol. 504 No. 7

Written Answers. - General Register Office.

Austin Currie

Question:

203 Mr. Currie asked the Minister for Health and Children the consideration, if any, he has given to the suggestions made in a letter (details supplied) that custody of registers of births, marriages and deaths be transferred from the general register office to the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12619/99]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen)

The administration of the registration system is a matter for An tÁrd-Chláraitheoir, the registrar-general of births, deaths and marriages, and for local registrars who operate under his general direction.

The Registration of Births and Deaths Acts, 1863 to 1996, and the Marriages Acts of 1844 and 1863 provide that An t-Árd Chláraitheoir shall retain certified copies of the records of births, deaths and marriages returned to him on a quarterly basis by local registrars and that he shall compile and make available an index to such records.

I have referred in recent replies, in relation to facilities provided by the general register office, to the steps being taken to maintain and improve indexes to the records of births, deaths and marriages. The Deputy may already be aware of the special project for the capture of the records of births, deaths and marriages and associated indexes in an electronic format which has been ongoing in Roscommon for some time. The first stage of this work which involves scanning the records and indexes from 1844 is making steady progress and the project team will shortly be in the position to begin the development of a retrieval package to provide electronic access to these records.

The Deputy will appreciate that when this archival records project is completed, it will improve the efficiency, flexibility, access and management of the records and the associated indexes and will provide potential for the development of a range of services, which would not be possible in a system reliant on printed indexes. This project will be of benefit to all customers of the registration service throughout the country, including those engaged in family research, who currently avail of the services of the research room in the general register office.

In my reply of 27 April, in relation to facilities in the general register office, I indicated that plans were in hand to relocate the public counter on the first floor in Joyce House to provide additional space in the public search room and I now understand that this work will be completed by the end of June.