HC Deb 21 January 1977 vol 924 cc355-6W
Mr. George Rodgers

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what savings have been made to the most recent available date following the ruling by the Registrar General to refuse public access to registers of births, deaths and marriages held in the custody of the Superintendent of Registrars.

Mr. Moyle

There is no statutory provision for public access to registers in the custody of superintendent registrars.

There are rights of access to indexes and to have certified copies of entries in the registers on payment of statutory fees. Where possible, facilities for extra-statutory access to the registers for research purposes were formerly granted in suitable cases in response to occasional requests but growth in the demand for concessions for purposes of historical research compelled their withdrawal in 1974. Extra expenditure on manpower and accommodation would be incurred by local authorities if the law were amended to allow a general right of access to the registers. No estimate of the extra costs is available but they would probably be substantial.