Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 10 May 2000

Vol. 518 No. 6

Written Answers. - General Register Office Records.

Brian O'Shea

Ceist:

322 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason he will not allow the General Register Office to release to the National Library microfilm copies of the 19th century civil registers of births, deaths and marriages with accompanying indexes in view of the fact that this material is already widely available outside of Ireland through the Mormon Church based in Utah, USA; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12705/00]

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, 1893 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 indexes to the records are printed and bound and are not in a microfilmed format. Indexes for a proportion of the more recent records are also maintained in an electronic format. As the Deputy may be aware, steps are being taken to maintain and improve indexes to the records of births, deaths and marriages, including 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. When this archival records project is completed, it will improve the efficiency, flexibility, access and management of the records and the associated indexes and will provide potential for the development of a range of services, which would not be possible in a system reliant on printed indexes. This project will benefit all customers of the registration service throughout the country, including persons who currently avail of the services of the reading room in the General Register Office.

The General Register Office has taken a number of measures to improve its services, including the relocation to the public counter on the first floor in Joyce House in July 1999 to provide additional space in the public reading room. The refitting of the public reading room in the General Register Office is due to be completed in the next couple of weeks.

The future development of the service will be considered in the context of the joint initiative being undertaken by my Department and the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs to identify and implement the changes necessary to provide a modern and effective service based on the electronic recording of vital events.

I understand that the Church of Latterday Saints has copies of indexes to some of the records of the General Register Office, which it obtained for religious purposes.