§ Sir R. Taskerasked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the Registrar-General of Births has effected an amendment of an entry of birth under reference 5253 R. 37 of his Department without statutory declarations from both the mother and the husband; having regard to the fact that false information has necessitated the amendment of column 6 of the entry, why the Registrar-General has accepted the particulars in column 4 without corroborative testimony from the informant; and whether he will take steps to call for medical and other evidence to ascertain the correctness or otherwise of the particulars given in column 4 of the entry?
§ Sir K. WoodThe Registrar-General has no power to authorise the correction of an error of fact in a birth register except upon statutory declarations by "two credible persons having knowledge of the truth of the case." In the case referred to the entry of the child's paternity cannot be corrected since the fact itself is in dispute between the husband and wife. The mother's statement that the entry of her husband's address was incorrect was, however, supported by declarations by credible persons that the husband did not reside at the address in question; and no declaration by the husband was necessary. The Registrar-General accordingly authorised the correction of this particular, which is not, indeed, in dispute.