Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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375. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the reason there is no divorce register in operation despite the fact that such a register was obligated in the Divorce Act 1996. [26690/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Part 7 of the Civil Registration Act 2004 makes provision for the establishment of a register of decrees of divorce and a register of decrees of nullity. However, the provisions of Part 7 have yet to be commenced.

The system of civil registration in Ireland has been extensively modernised in the last decade or so and, as part of the modernisation programme, the majority of all records have been computerised. Priority within this programme of work has been given to the registers of births, deaths and marriages due to the extent of public demand for certificates and other information from these registers.

Part 7 of the Civil Registration Act provides that entries in both registers will be the responsibility of officers of the Courts Service. This would require that both registers would have to be electronic, the design and maintenance of this has resource implications.

In the light of these considerations, there are no plans to commence these provisions in the immediate future but the matter will be examined again when circumstances permit.