§ Mr. LetwinTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will ensure that registration records over 75 years old are made easily and cheaply available by means of microfilmed copies. [39648]
§ 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 Tim Holt to Mr. Oliver Letwin, dated 24 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 question 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 certified 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.