General Register Office
Encyclopedia
The General Register Office for England and Wales (GRO) is the section of the UK Identity and Passport Service
responsible for the civil registration of births (including stillbirth
s), adoptions, marriages, civil partnerships and deaths in England and Wales
and for those same events outwith the UK if they involve a UK citizen and qualify to be registered in various miscellaneous registers. With a small number of historic exceptions involving military personnel it does not deal with records of such events occurring within the land or territorial waters of Scotland, Northern Ireland
or Ireland; those entities' registration systems have always been separate from England and Wales.
The GRO was founded in 1836 by the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1836, and civil registration commenced in 1837. Its head is the Registrar General. Probably the most distinguished person associated with the GRO in the nineteenth century, although he was never its head, was William Farr
. The current holder of the post is Sarah Rapson.
In 1972 the GRO became part of the newly created Office of Population Censuses and Surveys
(OPCS), with the Registrar General in overall charge. Until then it had had several statistical functions, including the conduct of population censuses and the production of annual population estimates. All these were moved elsewhere within the new organisation. The GRO then became just one division within OPCS, headed by a Deputy Registrar General. Then in 1996 the OPCS, and therefore the GRO, became part of the newly created Office for National Statistics
, and the office of Registrar General was merged with that of Head of the Government Statistical Service.
The GRO supplies copies of birth, marriage, civil partnership certificates and death certificates, either online, via www.direct.gov.uk/gro or from one of the local register office
s that act on behalf of the GRO.
(IPS). The decision to make the transfer of GRO to IPS was finalised following the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review. As such IPS and the Home Office
is the natural home for GRO. The move follows changes to make Office of National Statistics more independent of Government, which means ONS will no longer be responsible for the registration role it currently holds.
was initiated in 2005. Implementation of the project was Outsourced to Siemens IT Solutions and Services in a three-year contract which expired at the end of July 2008. The process of scanning, digitising
and indexing suffered severe delays, with only (roughly) half the records delivered by the end of the contract period. By mutual agreement between the IPS and Siemens, the contract was not extended. Digitisation of birth records up to 1934 and death records up to 1957 had been completed when the contract ended.
The records that have been digitised – over 130 million of them – form part of a system (called EAGLE, for "Electronic Access to GRO Legacy Events") which is used within the GRO to fulfil requests for certificates from the general public. A different system, known as MAGPIE ("MultiAccess to GRO Public Index of Events"), was intended to make the indexes available to the public via a website, but this will not now be implemented. Instead, following a lengthy review of options, a new project, called the Digitisation and Indexing (D&I) Project, has been initiated.
The D&I Project will: complete the digitisation of birth, marriage and death records; create an online index to those records; and improve the certificate ordering process. Project costs and timescales cannot be announced by the IPS until they have been agreed with a supplier. Contracts are expected to be awarded in the first quarter of 2011. Under the IPS Strategic Supplier Framework, the contract will be awarded to one or more of the suppliers who constitute the ready-made shortlist under the terms of the Framework, viz. IBM
, CSC
, Thales UK
, EDS and Fujitsu. As of September 2010 this project has been suspended pending the outcome of the latest UK Government Comprehensive Spending Review. The IPS expects to reach a decision on the future of the digitisation project during financial year 2011/12.
in Southport
, a former Hydropathic Hotel that has since been converted into offices for the GRO and NHS The Information Centre, formally the NHS Central Register.
Identity and Passport Service
The Identity & Passport Service is an executive agency of the Home Office in the United Kingdom and became operational on 1 April 2006, succeeding the UK Passport Agency, after the passing of the Identity Cards Act 2006...
responsible for the civil registration of births (including stillbirth
Stillbirth
A stillbirth occurs when a fetus has died in the uterus. The Australian definition specifies that fetal death is termed a stillbirth after 20 weeks gestation or the fetus weighs more than . Once the fetus has died the mother still has contractions and remains undelivered. The term is often used in...
s), adoptions, marriages, civil partnerships and deaths in England and Wales
England and Wales
England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
and for those same events outwith the UK if they involve a UK citizen and qualify to be registered in various miscellaneous registers. With a small number of historic exceptions involving military personnel it does not deal with records of such events occurring within the land or territorial waters of Scotland, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
or Ireland; those entities' registration systems have always been separate from England and Wales.
The GRO was founded in 1836 by the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1836, and civil registration commenced in 1837. Its head is the Registrar General. Probably the most distinguished person associated with the GRO in the nineteenth century, although he was never its head, was William Farr
William Farr
William Farr was a nineteenth-century British epidemiologist, regarded as one of the founders of medical statistics.-Early life:He was born in Kenley, Shropshire, England to poor parents...
. The current holder of the post is Sarah Rapson.
In 1972 the GRO became part of the newly created Office of Population Censuses and Surveys
Office of Population Censuses and Surveys
The Office of Population Censuses and Surveys , was created in May 1970 through the merger of the General Register Office and the Government Social Survey Department....
(OPCS), with the Registrar General in overall charge. Until then it had had several statistical functions, including the conduct of population censuses and the production of annual population estimates. All these were moved elsewhere within the new organisation. The GRO then became just one division within OPCS, headed by a Deputy Registrar General. Then in 1996 the OPCS, and therefore the GRO, became part of the newly created Office for National Statistics
Office for National Statistics
The Office for National Statistics is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the Parliament of the United Kingdom.- Overview :...
, and the office of Registrar General was merged with that of Head of the Government Statistical Service.
The GRO supplies copies of birth, marriage, civil partnership certificates and death certificates, either online, via www.direct.gov.uk/gro or from one of the local register office
Register office
A register office is a British term for a civil registry, a government office and depository where births, deaths and marriages are officially recorded and where you can get officially married, without a religious ceremony...
s that act on behalf of the GRO.
Becoming part of IPS
On 1 April 2008, the General Register Office for England and Wales (GRO) became a subsidiary of the Identity and Passport ServiceIdentity and Passport Service
The Identity & Passport Service is an executive agency of the Home Office in the United Kingdom and became operational on 1 April 2006, succeeding the UK Passport Agency, after the passing of the Identity Cards Act 2006...
(IPS). The decision to make the transfer of GRO to IPS was finalised following the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review. As such IPS and the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
is the natural home for GRO. The move follows changes to make Office of National Statistics more independent of Government, which means ONS will no longer be responsible for the registration role it currently holds.
Digitisation and Indexing (D&I) Project
A project, called DoVE (Digitisation of Vital Events), to digitise the GRO's records of birth, marriage and deathVital record
Vital records are records of life events kept under governmental authority, including birth certificates, marriage licenses, and death certificates. In some jurisdictions, vital records may also include records of civil unions or domestic partnerships....
was initiated in 2005. Implementation of the project was Outsourced to Siemens IT Solutions and Services in a three-year contract which expired at the end of July 2008. The process of scanning, digitising
Digitizing
Digitizing or digitization is the representation of an object, image, sound, document or a signal by a discrete set of its points or samples. The result is called digital representation or, more specifically, a digital image, for the object, and digital form, for the signal...
and indexing suffered severe delays, with only (roughly) half the records delivered by the end of the contract period. By mutual agreement between the IPS and Siemens, the contract was not extended. Digitisation of birth records up to 1934 and death records up to 1957 had been completed when the contract ended.
The records that have been digitised – over 130 million of them – form part of a system (called EAGLE, for "Electronic Access to GRO Legacy Events") which is used within the GRO to fulfil requests for certificates from the general public. A different system, known as MAGPIE ("MultiAccess to GRO Public Index of Events"), was intended to make the indexes available to the public via a website, but this will not now be implemented. Instead, following a lengthy review of options, a new project, called the Digitisation and Indexing (D&I) Project, has been initiated.
The D&I Project will: complete the digitisation of birth, marriage and death records; create an online index to those records; and improve the certificate ordering process. Project costs and timescales cannot be announced by the IPS until they have been agreed with a supplier. Contracts are expected to be awarded in the first quarter of 2011. Under the IPS Strategic Supplier Framework, the contract will be awarded to one or more of the suppliers who constitute the ready-made shortlist under the terms of the Framework, viz. IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, CSC
Computer Sciences Corporation
Computer Sciences Corporation is an American information technology and business services company headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, USA...
, Thales UK
Thales Group
The Thales Group is a French electronics company delivering information systems and services for the aerospace, defense, transportation and security markets...
, EDS and Fujitsu. As of September 2010 this project has been suspended pending the outcome of the latest UK Government Comprehensive Spending Review. The IPS expects to reach a decision on the future of the digitisation project during financial year 2011/12.
Smedley Hydro
The GRO is located at Smedley HydroSmedley Hydro
Smedley Hydro is a former Victorian Hydropathic Spa and Hotel which is now home to the UK national registration offices, situated in Birkdale, Southport, Merseyside.-Birkdale College:...
in Southport
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England...
, a former Hydropathic Hotel that has since been converted into offices for the GRO and NHS The Information Centre, formally the NHS Central Register.
Registrars General
- Thomas Henry ListerThomas Henry ListerThomas Henry Lister was an English novelist and Registrar General.-Life and writings:Lister was the son of Thomas Lister of Armitage Park and his first wife Harriet Anne Seale. His maternal grandfather was John Seale...
, 1836–1842 - George Graham, 1842–1880
- Brydges Powell Henniker, 1880–1900
- Reginald MacLeodReginald MacLeod of MacLeodSir Reginald MacLeod of MacLeod, KCB was the 27th chief of the Scottish clan Clan MacLeod.-Biography:...
, 1900–1902 - William Cospatrick Dunbar, 1902–1909
- Bernard MalletBernard MalletSir Bernard Mallet, KCB was a British civil servant.He was the son of Sir Louis Mallet.. He was educated at Clifton College and Balliol College, Oxford. He became private secretary to Arthur Balfour. Later, he was Registrar General and President of the Royal Statistical Society from 1916 to 1918...
, 1909–1920 - Sylvanus Percival VivianSylvanus Percival VivianSir Sylvanus Percival Vivian was the 7th Registrar General of England and Wales , and the longest serving Registrar General after George Graham....
, 1920–1945 - George Cecil North, 1945–1958
- Edward Michael Tyndall Firth, 1958–1963
- Michael Reed, 1963–1974
- George Paine, 1974–1978
- Arthur Roger Thatcher, 1978–1986
- Gillian Theresa Banks, 1986–1990
- Peter John Wormald, 1990–1996
- David Holt, 1996–2000
- Isobel Mary Macdonald-Davies, 2000
- Leonard Warren CookLen CookLeonard Warren "Len" Cook, CBE is a professional statistician who was Government Statistician of New Zealand from 1992 to 2000 and National Statistician and Director of the Office for National Statistics, United Kingdom, and Registrar General for England and Wales from 2000 to...
, 2000-2005 - Karen Hope DunnellKaren DunnellDame Karen Hope Dunnell, DCB was National Statistician and Chief Executive of the Office for National Statistics of the United Kingdom and head of the Government Statistical Service from 1 September 2005 until retiring on 28 August 2009...
, 2005–2008 - James Douglas Ellis Hall, 2008–2010
- Sarah Oonagh Rapson, 2010–
See also
- General Register Office for Northern Ireland
- General Register Office for ScotlandGeneral Register Office for ScotlandThe General Register Office for Scotland was a non-ministerial directorate of the Scottish Government that administered the registration of births, deaths, marriages, divorces and adoptions in Scotland. It was also responsible for the statutes relating to the formalities of marriage and conduct...