Key Facts

• The Bill aims to modernise birth and death registration processes in England and Wales.
• It proposes removing the need for paper registers under the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953.
• Estimated savings from these changes are £20 million over ten years, with total estimated savings of £170 million.
• Remote registration via phone or electronically was highly successful during the pandemic.
• The Bill aims to transition birth and death registrations from a paper-driven process to an electronic system.
• A survey of NAFD members in 2021 showed that 82% of funeral directors felt digital processing was working well or very well.
• Clause 1 removes the administrative burden of quarterly returns by making entries available electronically immediately after registration.
• The Bill modernises paper records dating back to 1836.
• It includes provisions for keeping registers in paper form indefinitely (Clause 4).
• Clause 7 ensures the Bill comes into effect upon passing.
• The Bill aims to correct a duplication of processes that has been ongoing for over a decade.
• The digitalisation of records is expected to save the taxpayer £20 million over 10 years.
• The ability to register deaths by telephone, enabled by the Coronavirus Act 2020, worked well and was beneficial but had a sunset clause expiring in March 2022.
• Since 2009, all birth and death registrations have been captured both electronically and on paper.
• Maintaining duplicate records is unnecessary, costly, and time-consuming.
• The Bill aims to remove the requirement for paper registers but will retain electronic systems and physical certificates.
• The Bill removes the requirement for paper registers in each registration district.
• Paper usage can be up to 10,000 sheets per person annually.
• The system has been running in parallel since 2009 with no instances of hacking or similar issues reported.
• A Ghanaian citizen applied for British citizenship in May 2021.
• The Home Office issued his citizenship certificate with only one of his two surnames correctly recorded.
• His passport application was denied due to the mismatch between his driving licence, passport, and citizenship certificate.
• George Rose proposed a Bill to overhaul the registration system in 1812.
• The 1875 Act forms the core of the current system for registering births and deaths.
• There are about 20 cases annually where people's birth details are inaccurately recorded.
• The Bill contains regulation-making powers which allow changes to be made through statutory instruments.
• Clause 1(3) of the Bill proposes to repeal section 28 of the 1953 Act, removing the requirement for registration officers to hold hard copies of registers.
• Concerns are raised about clause 6's ability to make further consequential provisions on any provision of the Act, including powers to amend or revoke existing primary legislation.
• The Registers of Births and Deaths Bill lacks a regulatory impact assessment or cost-benefit analysis.
• Chope and other MPs are concerned about the implications of the Bill, especially regarding proper paper records for births.
• An example is given where a South African citizen needs a holographed birth certificate to take their UK-born child to South Africa.