(1)The Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953 is amended as follows.
(2)After section 34 (entry in register as evidence of birth or death) insert—
(1)The Minister may make regulations for the purpose of enabling the Registrar General—
(a)to carry out, on request, a search to find out whether the Registrar General’s certified copies contain a particular entry;
(b)to provide, on request, a record of information contained in an entry in the Registrar General’s certified copies, otherwise than in the form of a certified copy.
(2)The regulations may authorise or require the Registrar General to charge a fee of an amount specified in the regulations for carrying out a search or providing a record.
(3)The regulations may make provision—
(a)as to how a request for a search or a record may be made;
(b)as to the forms in which a record may be provided.
(4)The provision that may be made in the regulations includes provision for a record to be provided in a form that does not include all of the information contained in an entry.
(5)This section does not affect the entitlement under this Act of any person to a certified copy of an entry in the Registrar General’s certified copies.
(6)In this section, “the Registrar General’s certified copies” means the certified copies of entries in registers sent to the Registrar General under this Act or under any enactment repealed by this Act and kept in the General Register Office.
(7)Section 30(4) applies for the purposes of this section as it applies for the purposes of section 30.”
(3)In section 39 (regulations), in paragraph (a), for “and 10C” substitute “, 10C and 34A”.
(4)In section 39A (regulations made by the Minister: further provisions), in subsection (5), for “and 10C” substitute “, 10C and 34A”.