§ Mr. Alan CampbellTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of the cost of making historic registration records available by means of microfilmed copie; [39720]
(2) what proposals he has to make historic registration records available by means of microfilmed copies; [39721]
(3) what proposals he has to make historic registration records more than 75 years old open to public scrutiny. [39722]
§ Mrs. LiddellThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the Chief Executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Les D. Mayhew to Mr. Alan Campbell, dated 29 April 1998:
In the absence of the Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary questions on registration records.
The Registration Acts are quite specific as to the means of access to all the records of births, deaths and marriages. The Acts allow members of the public to search the indexes in order to identify the entries they are looking for and to obtain certifies copies (certificates) on payment of the appropriate statutory fees. The Registrar General has no powers to make available or disclose registration information in any other way. No assessment has been made of the cost of making records available by means of microfilmed copies.