Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 112 and 367 together.

On 19 July 2013, the Cabinet approved the drafting by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel to the Government of the Civil Registration (Amendment) Bill.

I brought this proposal for legislation to the Cabinet as there are a number of important policy issues I want to see implemented through amendments to the 2004 Act. The Bill will provide for a wide range of issues relating to the registration of life events in the State. Representations and recommendations have been made by various groups and organisations since the enactment of the Civil Registration Act 2004 and this Bill seeks to address these issues. The General Register Office, which administers the civil registration service, has also identified areas where legislative amendments are required to streamline the service to the public.

The Bill is currently being drafted by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel. The issues are complex but it is a priority for me to have it published at the earliest possible date. I am seeking completion of it by the end of April, if feasible, and certainly no later than the end of June. The legislation will provide for the development of a mechanism to register the deaths of Irish persons normally resident in the State who die while on short-term absences from the State. The Deputy will be aware that usually when a person dies abroad the death is registered by the authorities in that country, from which a certified copy of the death registration is obtainable. In general, only deaths which occur within the State can be registered here although there are some exceptions, such as the death of a person on board an Irish aircraft, the death of a member of the security forces serving outside the State or where a death occurs in a country which does not have a system in place to register deaths.

I realise that it is very important for families to have the death of their loved one abroad registered in Ireland. In this regard, the Department has examined options for providing a mechanism that deals with these cases in a way that addresses the concerns of families while ensuring the validity of the current registration process.

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