Online records after 2005

[rose18]

So I saw this on the direct gov website:

Viewing full copies of the indexes

You cannot buy copies of the indexes, but complete sets are available to view at:

Manchester City Library
Birmingham Central Library
Bridgend Reference and Information Library
Plymouth Central Library
City of Westminster Archives Centre
London Metropolitan Archives
The British Library*

These locations get regular updates for you to view in person. This is expected to continue until free, online access can be provided.

* Please be aware that customers at the British Library will need to undertake a pre-registration process. Two forms of identification showing a signature and proof of address will be needed to gain entry into this location.

The indexes held in the seven sites listed above include:

'Births, Deaths and Marriages from 1837 to 2009'
'Overseas Index: Births, Deaths and Marriages from 1761 to 2009'
'Civil Partnerships from 2005 to 2010'
'Adoptions from 1927 to 2009'
provisional indexes for 'Births and Deaths from January 2010 to March 2011'

It talks about free online access being provided in the future, but is any work being done towards this?

[Nick29]

I don't think is so much a question of work, as the government being persuaded to release the data.  Post 1970's data kept by the GRO is in a digital format, so needs no transcription to put it online, only government approval.

[dawnsh]

Not government aprroval so much as the funds to do it. Due to government financial cutbacks the digitisation project is onhold.

Dawn

[rose18]

Not government aprroval so much as the funds to do it. Due to government financial cutbacks the digitisation project is onhold.

Dawn

So is it going to be done in the near future or is it on hold indefinitely?

[stonechat]

Well the ill-fate projects Dove and Magpie (and I believe one other bird acronym) are no more

The next stage was awaiting the results of the govt spending review

can't find any recent decision

I have fired off an email asking for an update

[Hammerman]

I think I heard that it's not money but privacy and/or national security reasons why post 2005 records aren't online.

I've used the LMA and Westminster copies but they don't have marriages after 2008 but the births and deaths are updated yearly. I'm sure that the records are on a database somewhere so surely it would be fairly easy and cheap to put them online thus it seems it's privacy or security concerns.

[rose18]

I think I heard that it's not money but privacy and/or national security reasons why post 2005 records aren't online.

I've used the LMA and Westminster copies but they don't have marriages after 2008 but the births and deaths are updated yearly. I'm sure that the records are on a database somewhere so surely it would be fairly easy and cheap to put them online thus it seems it's privacy or security concerns.

Yeah, births and deaths are updated frequently at LMA and Westminster. I went to LMA recently, they also have marriage records for 2009 now.

Well the ill-fate projects Dove and Magpie (and I believe one other bird acronym) are no more

The next stage was awaiting the results of the govt spending review

can't find any recent decision

I have fired off an email asking for an update

To the GRO?
I remember reading sometime back about some digitalisation project being abandoned and never heard anything again.

[dawnsh]

Births and deaths are updated quarterly and are available on microfiche around the county. June 2011 is now at the archives. The registration service has undergone major changes with the implementation of their new computer system which means that births and deaths are registered and available every 3 months.

Marriages upto then end of 2009 are available on microfiche. Unfortunately the records take much longer to compile as the registration service have to wait for the churches to submit their records.

There are several companies that do have instant access to the death data but they pay a large sum of money for the privilidge, and have to undergo strict vetting before they can have access. These companies use the death data to prevent impersonation of the dead.

Although the GRO has the data, unfortunately it is not easy or cheap to put these records online.

The future of the digitisation project is on hold for the foreseeable future.

Dawn

[Guy Etchells]

I am sorry but anyone who thinks the "current" birth, marriage and death indexes are being withheld for privacy or security has been mislead.

The truth of the matter is the indexes were withdrawn when the family records centre closed.
They were supposed to be quickly replaced by an online database but this failed due to incompetence and lack of funds.

The GRO would be acting illegally if they did not provide public access to the latest indexes.

On the brighter side access to the current registers (note registers not indexes) is available free of charge at the local registrars office whenever it is open for business.
The power to charge a fee to search the registers at a registrar's office  having been repealed by the Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Fees) Order 1968, SI 1968/1242, art 4(1), Sch 2.

However if the particular local registrar's is a busy office the current registers may only contain a few months records.
Cheers
Guy