Vol. 506 No. 5
139 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children the procedures, if any, available for an individual to trace his birth certificate in view of the fact that he has difficulty in getting a passport and other documentation. [15694/99]
The administration of the registration system is a matter for An t-Árd Chláraitheoir, the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, and for local registrars who operate under his general direction.
An t-Árd Chláraitheoir maintains an index of births at the General Register Office, Joyce House, 8-11 Lombard Street East, Dublin 2, which may be searched on payment of the statutory fee. Ideally, a person searching the indexes should know the date and place of birth, forename of the person concerned, and the parents names. However, it may be possible to locate the relevant entry if only some of the details are available.
Where it is established that a birth has not been previously registered, it is possible to effect registration provided the information, required by law to be registered, is available, particularly information in relation to the date and place of birth. The authority of An t-Árd Chláraitheoir is required for the registration of a birth, where more than 12 months has elapsed, since the date of birth. A statutory declaration setting out the particulars to be registered is required and in addition An t-Árd Chláraitheoir will seek some independent confirmation of details, as set out in the declaration.
