The administration of the registration system is a matter for An tArd-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, 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 at his office. Persons are entitled to search these indexes on the payment of the approved fees and to obtain certified copies of entries identified from the index.
The Deputy will 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. This project will benefit all customers of the registration service throughout the country by improving the efficiency, flexibility, access and management of the records and the associated indexes. It will also provide potential for the development of a range of services, which would not be possible in a system reliant on printed indexes.