§ Mr. George Gardinerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services why the Central Registry Office, after charging £4.60 for the issue of a certificate, charges a further £5 for posting it to the applicant.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergThe services are different. A caller at the general register office who undertakes searching the indexes himself, pays the fees on the spot and leaves behind a self-addressed envelope, is charged £4.60 for a standard certificate whether it is collected or posted. An application conducted entirely by post attracts a further charge of £5 to cover the cost of the search and identification, handling the correspondence and settlement of the fees.