Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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192. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when the public registrations office in Longford will reopen. [27705/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Civil Registration Service is operated by the HSE with policy direction being given by the General Register Office (GRO), which falls under the aegis of the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. For the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, the GRO and Civil Registration Service has continued to provide civil registration services, including the registration of births and deaths and managing the legal preliminary for marriage and conducting civil marriages. In line with other public service providers and to adhere to public health requirements, restrictions on public access to civil registration offices remain in place. 

The Deputy will be aware that temporary measures were included in the Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020 to allow for the registration of births and deaths to be completed without the need for attendance before a registrar. These temporary measures are working well and will continue in place until the end of January 2021.  The GRO and HSE continue to monitor the implementation of these temporary arrangements to ensure they are meeting public demand.

I have been informed by the HSE that the Longford civil registration office remains closed to the public but is carrying out services related to the registration of births, deaths and marriages. Marriage notifications are being received at the Longford office and are being finalised at other locations, primarily the Mullingar civil registration office. The HSE is planning to re-open the Longford office along with other civil registration offices in the Midlands region on a phased basis; however, no date has been provided by the HSE as to when this will occur.

I  trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.