4 EXTENT OF THE PROPOSAL'S
APPLICATION
18. The proposal would apply only to England and
Wales. Civil registration matters in the other United Kingdom
jurisdictions are within the devolved responsibility of the Scottish
Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly respectively.
19. The GRO notes in its explanatory statement that
the authorities in Scotland and Northern Ireland are currently
in the process of reviewing their civil registration services
with the aim of modernisation.[7]
In response to our enquiry, the GRO indicated that planned reforms
for Scotland and Northern Ireland have a number of similarities
with reforms proposed for England and Wales, although differences
exist, partly as a result of the differences between the existing
legislative provisions applying there. We note that the reforms
in Scotland are to be taken forward by means of a draft Registration
Services (Scotland) Bill.[8]
20. There is clearly some complexity in a situation
in which separate reforms are being pursued in a single state
with three distinct civil registration regimes. At our request
the GRO supplied us with a written description of the points of
comparison between the existing proposals for reform of registration
in Scotland and Northern Ireland and this suggests that there
is some degree of similarity between the various regimes. We
welcome this. In oral evidence to us the Financial Secretary
acknowledged the situation was complex but said "I think
we can live with that degree of complexity and it is inherent
in the fact that we do have a devolved settlement."[9]
21. We concur with his judgement.
7 Explanatory statement, paragraph 3.1 Back
8
Appendix F, Q66 Back
9
Q138 Back
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