> > If the ONS is so concerned about people's privacy, why do they themselves > > sell film and fiche of the indices of recent births, deaths and marriages, > > and why do they sell certificates for those events? > > Because they are obliged, by law to do so. That answer intrigues me. I am not entirely 'with it' having to look after an elderly relative. However, I seem to remember one past thread in which someone asserted that the Law required the Registrar to allow any person to examine the register entry of any event if that person could show reasonable cause. Indeed, I further remember that this right to examine the registers was 'suspended' my some temporary ministerial edict on the basis of security. Of course, that security has nothing to do with the protection of the individual, but with the protection of the income the ONS derives from this 'temporary measure'. I would be most interested to know if the assertion was correct, and to further know if the lapse can be corrected. They have it all sorted North of the border. I have visited the Scottish GRO several times and was able to examine fiche of any entry I selected using their very modern computerised index system. Several dozens of genies were tapping away, scrawling refs on little chits of paper and wandering all through the long lines of cabinets extracting fiche for examination in the readers provided. I reckoned to examine up to 50 or 60 entries a day - for the very reasonable sum of £17. With the help of my good lady, I once recorded the hatching, matching and despatching of 204 of her relies in just two days. Nothing was lost. Nothing was stolen. Nothing was vandalised. And ONS please note - I didn't see one single, solitary, quill pen. Ernie Bull W London ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dave Mayall" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2001 3:50 PM Subject: Re: 100 Year Limit