Vol. 440 No. 7
269 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Health whether the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages is open to the public through lunch; if not, the length of time they are closed during lunchtime; his views on whether many members of the public would find it most convenient to call at lunch time.
The hours of opening for the General Register Office (Oifig an Ard-Chláraitheora) are set out in Oifig an Ard-Chláraitheora (Hours of Business) (No. 2) Regulations, 1986 (S.I. No. 296 of 1986). These hours are:
9.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.
2.15 p.m. to 4.30 p.m.
I accept that the opening of the office during lunchtime would be more convenient for members of the public. However, for a number of operational reasons, including staffing levels, it is not currently possible to extend the opening hours in this way. The question of an extension of the hours of opening is currently being reviewed in the context of public demand, the resources available to the General Register Office and the planned introduction of new technology in that office.
