Dear Listers, My attention has been drawn to the following: ---------------------------------- Please would any family historians out there read and consider signing this petition: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/1792 The idea is to have uncertified copies of certificates for family history research, which have no legal authority, similar to they do in the Republic of Ireland. These could be obtained at a much lower fee, the price of £2 per certificate is suggested. -------------------------------- The full explanatory text states: -------------------------------- Under current legislation, the GRO can only "release this information by means of the issue of a paper certified copy Cert of the relevant entry, and payment of the relevant statutory fee for a certified copy." We request that this House enacts legislation to allow the General Register Office of England and Wales the ability to issue "uncertified" research copies of birth, marriage and death certs - with a notice on the copies that they are uncertified, and have no legal authority - and that these may be obtained at a much lower cost than the current £9.25 per cert (e.g. £2) when ordered on-line and the GRO Index Ref is provided, and that these may be issued in a electronic (email) format or a plain paper in the same way as The Rep of Ireland; this would enable family historians to buy many certs for their research at a lower cost" In the Republic of Ireland you can ask for an uncertified copy from Roscommon (their version of GRO) for €4. -------------------------------- As I understand it, each e-petition last for up to one year, and a threshold of 100,000 signatories has to be reached before the subject becomes eligible to be brought before Parliament. The petition above will close in August and currently has 8447 signatories. Kind regards, John -------------------- John Ball, Brecon, Mid-Wales, UK E-mail: john@jlb2011.co.uk Website: http://www.jlb2011.co.uk/ Images of Wales: http://www.jlb2011.co.uk/walespic/ Welsh Family History Archive: http://www.jlb2011.co.uk/wales/ Joint Webmaster - Breconshire Local & Family History Society http://www.blfhs.c.uk/ GENUKI Breconshire Maintainer: http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/BRE/ Administrator - Powys (& BRE/MGY/RAD) RootsWeb mailing lists

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