2 BACKGROUND
6. The explanatory statement by the General Register
Office (GRO) records that the current registration service in
England and Wales has its origins in legislation introduced in
the 1830s.[3] The system
of paper based registers maintained by local registrars under
the central policy-making direction and information processing
role of the Registrar General has not changed substantially since
its beginnings. The Government has now developed plans for the
modernisation of the service but as the system was established
and is administered under a series of statutory provisions, legislation
is needed to permit modernization to take place.
7. The GRO notes that the Government has elaborated
Four Principles of Reform which aim to structure the delivery
of public services around the needs of customers and the improvement
of customer experience. The current proposal is seen as embodying
these Four Principles. They are:-
- Setting national standards
within a framework of clear accountability, designed to ensure
that citizens have the right to high quality services wherever
they live;
- Devolution and delegation to the front line,
giving local leaders responsibility and accountability for delivery,
and the opportunity to design services around the needs of local
people;
- More flexibility so that public service organisations
and their staff are better able to provide modern public services;
- More choice for the pupil, patient or customer
and the ability, if provision is poor, to have an alternative
provider.[4]
8. The GRO's statement describes the following pattern
of development for its proposals:
— September
1999: The Registrar
General published a consultation document "Registration:
Modernising a Vital Service". Almost 1,000 responses were
received, indicating broad support for more options for registering
life events, the provision of additional services and the wider
availability and use of electronic information.
— January 2002: The White Paper
"Civil Registration: Vital Change" was published. This
contained a number of significant proposals for the modernisation
of registration services in relation to marriage and civil partnerships
as well as in relation to the registration of births and deaths.[5]
In publishing the White Paper, the Government indicated that
its intention would be to make use of the Regulatory Reform procedure
to introduce the significant legislative changes which would be
required.
— July - October 2003: The Government
sought comments on its proposals in accordance with the Regulatory
Reform Act through its consultation document "Civil Registration:
Delivering Vital Change". Almost 3,400 responses were received.[6]
— 29 March 2004: The then Financial
Secretary to the Treasury, Ruth Kelly MP, announced that the proposals
relating to the modernisation of civil registration would be put
before Parliament in the form of two separate Regulatory Reform
Orders, one dealing with birth and death registration and another
on marriage and civil partnerships. The splitting of the original
proposal was intended to allow the proposals addressing the future
arrangements for the registration of marriage to take account
of Parliament's decisions in respect of the Civil Partnership
Bill.
— 22 July 2004: The proposal for
the Regulatory Reform (Registration of Births and Deaths) Order
2004 was laid before Parliament.
3 Explanatory statement, paragraph 2.1.2 Back
4
Explanatory statement, paragraph 2.1.6 Back
5
A brief description is provided at 2.1.10 Back
6
A summary of respondents' views is provided in Chapter 20 of the
explanatory statement Back
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