Vol. 427 No. 7
70 Mr. Connor asked the Minister for Health if he will make a statement on the proposal to relocate the Registry of Births, Marriages and Deaths (General Registry) from Dublin to Roscommon town; when it is expected this decentralisation will take place; whether the proposal has encountered difficulties with the employees involved; the number of jobs which will be transferred to Roscommon; and whether there will be any local recruitment of staff for this office.
149 Mrs. Doyle asked the Minister for Health if he will reconsider the proposal to transfer the registry of births, deaths and marriages which houses the only set of manuscript registers in the country to County Roscommon.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 70 and 149 together.
My Department is examining in detail the options for effecting the decentralisation of the General Register Office to Roscommon Town. This examination takes account of the needs of all users of the Office, including statutory agencies, the general public and those undertaking genealogical research. The timescale will depend on the particular option chosen.
Almost all the staff will have to be replaced by staff who wish to work in Roscommon. If sufficient staff to fill the complement of the Office cannot be found from within the Civil Service, there will be recruitment of staff locally. The number of staff required in Roscommon will depend on the option chosen for effecting the re-location of the Office with particular reference to the degree of computerisation undertaken.
