§ Dr. IddonTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the origins of the responses to the document Civil Registration: Delivering Vital Change; and how many were received from(a) registration officers, (b) genealogists and (c) the general public. [176583]
§ Ruth KellyThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the General Registrar for England and Wales, who has been asked to reply.
1722WLetter from Len Cook to Dr. Iddon, dated 27 May 2004:
As National Statistician and Registrar General For England and Wales, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what assessment has been made of the origins of the responses to the document Civil Registration: Delivering Vital Change; and how many were received from (a) registration officers (b) genealogists and (c) the general public. (176583)
There were 516 responses from registration officers, 30 from genealogists who explicitly identified themselves as such and 2,310 from the general public. Of the latter group there were many whose main interest appeared to be in family history and genealogy, although a number also commented on other issues such as the propose changes to the system of civil marriage. The large number of responses received will be taken into consideration before proposals are laid before Parliament for scrutiny in the form of a proposed draft Regulatory Reform Order and Explanatory Memorandum.
Indeed, in her Statement to the House of Commons on 29 March the Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Ruth Kelly) explained that she had been pleased to see there had been almost 3,400 responses to the consultation document "Civil Registration: Delivering Vital Change". She added that this indicated a very real interest among a wide range of stakeholders—registration practitioners and managers, the public and other interested organizations—in this area of reform.