In message <[email protected]>, Guy Etchells via <[email protected]> writes: [Much useful information about the progress of a bill.] >This amendment (when passed) does not in itself mean that certificates >will be cheaper but it does open the way to this happening. > >We still need to campaign to get not only the Registrar General, Paul >Pugh, but the Home Office Minister responsible James Brokenshaw, MP to >agree to allowing Private Intiative to make the Historic BMDs available >online. > >If that happens costs will drop drastically. [] I'm not sure what you mean by Private Initiative. Since you've capitalised it, is that the name of some company? Or do you just mean letting a private company or companies do/offer it? Either way, I could see the costs _not_ dropping drastically: it depends very much on what sort of contract is made. If any sort of exclusive contract is allowed (the sale of which would be attractive to "government" because of the money the sale itself would raise), or even any sort of time-limited exclusive licence, then the costs could well even rise. By "online", I presume you mean via some sort of subscription and/or pay-per-view arrangement, as currently offered by Ancestry, FindMyPast, and ScotlandsPeople. Or do you mean free, with "government" paying for it, and you hope companies will bid competitively for the job of making it so? -- J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)[email protected]+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf When I'm good, I'm very good. But when I'm bad - I'm better! (Mae West)