Number of registered births falls for fourth year in a row

General registrars are increasingly being dragged into legal proceedings, while new figures also indicate that the number of registered births has fallen for the fourth year in a row.

The annual report of the Registrar General, published yesterday, showed a 6.6% increase in the number of marriages last year compared with that in 2013, with 22,033 marriages. Of those, 68% were religious, 28% were civil and 4% were secular — up to 894 from 209 in 2013.

The number of deaths registered last year — 29,368 — was consistent with recent years, while the number of births — 67,750 — is considerably higher than at the start of the century but 11% less than the figure for 2008.

Last year the GRO was involved in 34 separate legal proceedings, either as defendant/respondent/notice party, or by way of assisting other departments or offices.

These cases mainly involved applications for recognition of foreign and domestic marriages or foreign divorces; surrogacy; and issues relating to identity.