Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 5 Jul 2001

Vol. 540 No. 3

Written Answers. - Birth Certificates.

Róisín Shortall

Ceist:

188 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Health and Children the provision which is made to provide a person with a birth certificate when his or her birth was not registered or when it is impossible to trace any such register; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20849/01]

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.

An tArd-Chláraitheoir maintains an index of births at the General Register Office, Joyce House, 8-11 Lombard Street East, Dublin 2, which may be searched on payment of the statutory fee. Ideally, a person searching the indexes should know the date and place of birth, forename of the person concerned and the parents names. However, it may be possible to locate the relevant entry if only some of the details are available.

Where it is established that a birth has not been previously registered, it is possible to effect registration provided the information, required by law to be registered, is available, particularly infor mation in relation to the date and place of birth. The authority of An tArd-Chláraitheoir is required for the registration of a birth, where more than 12 months has elapsed, since the date of birth. A statutory declaration setting out the particulars to be registered is required and in addition An tArd-Chláraitheoir will seek some independent confirmation of details, as set out in the declaration.