Background and Policy Objectives
3.The framework for the registration of births and deaths in Northern Ireland is set out in the Births and Deaths Registration (Northern Ireland) Order 1976 (“the 1976 Order”).  The Marriage (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 replaced complex and outdated statutes.  In recent years the General Register Office (GRO) recognised that the system for birth and death registration requires reform to respond more appropriately to the changing needs of society.