New legislation will allow families to register deaths and births at home 

New legislation will allow families to register deaths and births at home 

Minister Heather Humphreys said the Bill, which was approved by Cabinet last week, will modernise the Civil Registration Service and will bring Ireland in line with death registration practices in other countries to ensure that deaths are notified and registered at the earliest opportunity. Picture: Damien Storan/PA

Families will be able to register births and deaths online for the first time, and official acknowledgment of stillbirths is to be expanded under new reforms.

Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys has drafted new legislation to give people greater flexibility when it comes to registering major life events.

Under the changes, families will be able to register a death where a coroner’s inquest has not yet been concluded, and the time in which a death must be registered will also be cut from the current three-month timeframe to 28 days.

Campaigners have been calling for changes to the system of registering stillbirths to support families who have experienced the loss of a child during pregnancy, while still safeguarding the privacy of families.

The Register of Stillbirths will now be expanded to other relatives of the stillborn child where currently only the parents may search the register and obtain a certificate.

Ms Humphreys said: “Parents and advocacy groups have lobbied for the changes to the stillbirth criteria and for broadening access to the Register of Stillbirths and I am very happy to support them by bringing forward the necessary legislation."

The Bill seeks to amend the criteria for the registration of stillbirths to reflect advances in clinical practices and recommendations by the Department of Health. Current criteria permits registration where the stillborn child weights at least 500 grammes or reaches a gestational age of 24 weeks. The proposals look to reduce these thresholds to 400 grammes and 23 weeks respectively.

Other changes will also address delays in the death registration process, which can create practical difficulties for families who are seeking to manage the affairs of the deceased person.

“I am also bringing forward changes that will enable deaths that are referred to a coroner to be registered before the coroner has determined the cause of death," Ms Humphreys said.

This will help speed up the death registration process. Importantly, it will also enable families of the deceased to register the death and receive a death certificate. Currently, the next-of-kin only have access to an interim coroner’s certificate.

 The Civil Registration (Electronic Registration) Bill 2023 will also enable families to register births and deaths online for the first time.

Since the current civil registration system was introduced in 1864, families have been required to attend before a registrar in person in order to register a birth or death.

Ms Humphreys said the Bill, which was approved by Cabinet last week, will modernise the Civil Registration Service and will bring Ireland in line with death registration practices in other countries to ensure that deaths are notified and registered at the earliest opportunity.

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