About Us
Looking ahead
Modernising Civil Registration: overview
In 2001, the Government announced its intention to modernise the way in which we register births and deaths, and give notice to marry.
Those proposals were outlined in a White paper: 'Civil Registration: Vital Change' in 2002 and a subsequent Consultation Document in July 2003.
The Government decided to use the order-making powers of the Regulatory Reform Act 2001 to change the law.
What happened in 2004
In July 2004, a draft order relating to births and deaths, and the structure of the local registration service was presented to the Regulatory Reform Committee in the Commons and the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee in the Lords.
In December 2004, the Regulatory Reform Committees concluded that it was an inappropriate use of the order-making powers of the Regulatory Reform Act 2001.
2005 update
Following this decision, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, then Stephen Timms MP, decided that he would not put forward a draft Regulatory Reform Order to reform marriage law.
In November 2005, the consultation document 'Registration Modernisation' was published reinforcing the Government's commitment to the modernisation of the local registration service. This paper also sets out how other changes proposed in the 2002 White Paper 'Civil Registration: Vital Change' are to be progressed.
Later that month, the Registration Service Bill, which seeks to regularise the employment position of registrars whereby they become local authority employees, was introduced into parliament.
In 2006
Following a positive response to the consultation document 'Registration Modernisation', John Healey, Financial Secretary and ONS Minister announced on 25 May that the Government intends to push ahead with the new governance arrangements.
On 6 March a web-based system was introduced which enables registrars to record civil partnership registrations online. This system will also be used to enter details of birth, stillbirth and death registrations.
The General Register Office have also embarked on a project to digitise all birth, death and marriage records dating back to 1837. For more detailed information see Digitisation of Vital Events (DoVE).
The joint consultation paper Disclosure of Death Registration Information has just been published by the Registrars General for England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. It sets out proposals to prevent identity fraud in relation to death registration information.
