Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 15 Jun 2000

Vol. 521 No. 3

Written Answers. - Genealogical Service.

Enda Kenny

Question:

117 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Health and Children the programme of work outlined by his Department in respect of upgrading facilities for genealogical research, with specific reference to the General Register Office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16994/00]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

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 of 1844 and 1863 provide, inter alia, 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 a potential for the development of a range of services, which would not be possible in a system reliant on printed indexes. Preliminary preparations have commenced for the development of a suitable retrieval system.

The public reading room in the General Register Office, has been refurbished and extended and new shelving has been installed to provide for the proper management of the office, to facilitate equality of service to its customers, to ensure the protection of its records and to minimise the risk of personal injuries while removing and replacing indexes on the shelves. The copies of the indexes held in the General Register Office are continuously repaired, updated and amended to ensure that applicants are furnished with the correct record. The Deputy will appreciate the importance of having a complete and updated copy of the indexes for conversion to an electronic format by the above-mentioned project in Roscommon.

An additional staff member has been redeployed to the reading room in the General Register Office to assist members of the public, particularly visitors from abroad and new users of the service, to answer their questions and provide them with the basic guide to searching indexes for a particular entry.

An tArd-Chláraitheoir is aware of the suggestions made by genealogical interests, some of which have been implemented. Other suggestions are being considered in the context of the review of the service to identify changes necessary to provide a modern and effective service based on the electronic recording of vital events.