Welfare Reform Act 2012

135 Functions of registration service

In the Registration Service Act 1953, after section 19 there is inserted—

“19A Functions relating to transmission of information to Secretary of State

(1) The functions of a registrar of births and deaths, a superintendent registrar and the Registrar General include the power to—

(a) transmit information contained in a declaration made under section 9(1) of the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953 or entered in a register of births to the Secretary of State, and

(b) verify such information for the Secretary of State,

for the purposes of the service in subsection (2).

(2) That service is a service operated by the Secretary of State by which—

(a) individuals may transmit information about births to the Secretary of State, and

(b) that information may be transmitted to other persons by the Secretary of State.

(3) References in subsections (1) and (2) to the Secretary of State include persons providing services to the Secretary of State for the purpose of the service referred in subsection (2).

(4) This section does not authorise any disclosure which is unlawful—

(a) by virtue of any enactment, or

(b) by reason of the law relating to confidentiality or privacy.”