Brian Randell asked, re Modern PR transcriptions: "One rule of thumb I seem to recall is that we should not provide information from events within the last hundred years. And if so should this apply even to burial registers? ... Does the SoG (or perhaps the FFHS) have any advice or guidelines on this matter? Are there any official government rules?" Most of the replies to his question advocated adopting the "freedom of information" ethos. However, the GENUKI trustees might understandably wish to err on the side of caution, hence the query as to whether there are official government rules. IMHO, Chris Watts therefore gave the most pertinent answer in saying: "GRO Scotland operate a different policy. Whilst the registers are available freely in Edinburgh, those indexes seen online have a cut off - 100 years certainly for births, I am unsure what it is for deaths." The ScotlandsPeople website (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk) quotes the cut-off years for all three life events applied by the GROS, currently: - Births to 1904 - Marriages to 1929 - Deaths to 1954 Though, as Chris says, this only applies to online publication. I was able to uncover details last week, using the DIGROS system in-house at New Register House in Edinburgh, of a 2002 marriage (a RIGGS from Blandford in Dorset who had romantically gone to Gretna Green to get hitched <g>). These time scales are also in line with the cut-offs eventually proposed by the GRO section of ONS in their various publications on the modernisation of civil registration in England & Wales. Originally the GRO had stipulated cut-offs of 100 years for all three life events but the FFHS, amongst others, lobbied very actively against those and other proposals. Whilst we were successful in getting the GRO to reduce the proposed cut-offs to bring them into line with the Scottish practice, as published in last year's draft RRO on this subject. But we were unable to achieve any further reduction, despite the FFHS giving evidence before the House of Commons Select Committee examining the draft RRO. Effectively, therefore, if the GENUKI trustees wish to be ultra-cautious, they should consider adopting the cut-offs reflecting existing Scottish (and proposed English & Welsh) government practice: 100 years for births, 75 for marriages and 25 for deaths. Geoff Riggs FFHS Director of Computer & Internet Facilities (but expressing my personal views, not publishing "official FFHS guidelines")