Policy background Digital Government Civil registration
The Act provides a gateway in England and Wales to enable civil registration information to be shared in certain circumstances. Most transactions to prove eligibility for public services still rely on individuals providing paper birth, marriage, civil partnership and death certificates as evidence. The Act will allow for electronic verification between public authorities and the General Register Office, removing reliance on paper certificates. The government’s view is that this will also reduce the risk of fraud in relation to forged or altered certificates. Further, the Act will enable access to civil registration data on births, deaths and marriages, for example to use that information to prevent public authorities from inadvertently sending letters to people who are deceased.