Delegated Legislation Committee

I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Registration of Births and Deaths (England and Wales) (Specified Requirements) Regulations 2026. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. In keeping with wider efforts to improve the accessibility of public services, the draft regulations form part of the Government’s programme to modernise the registration of births, stillbirths and deaths in England and Wales. They support the move from paper registers to a fully electronic registration system, while preserving the integrity, reliability and legal certainty that have always been central to civil registration. Before setting out the detail of the draft regulations, it may be helpful if I provide some historical context. Since 1837, the registration of a birth, stillbirth or death has involved an individual attending a register office and signing a paper register in ink. Although that process has served the public well, it reflects a system designed for a different era. As public services increasingly make use of secure digital technology, it is right that the registration system keeps pace, and the draft regulations will aid us in that endeavour. Instead of requiring a handwritten signature in a paper register, if a person complies with certain specified requirements at the time of registering a birth or death, they will be treated as having signed the register and, where relevant, in the presence of the registrar. Removing the requirement to physically sign the register in the presence of the registrar will enable us to offer more flexible ways for the public to provide information for a registration, such as over the telephone or online using a portal on gov.uk, and they will be able to do so securely and at a time that suits the individual, without having to visit a register office. They will still have the choice to attend the register office in person to register an event. It is important to emphasise that this is not about lowering standards or reducing safeguards; the core principles that underpin civil registration remain unchanged. Individuals will still be required to confirm the accuracy of the information they provide and formally declare that it is true to the best of their knowledge and belief. Accountability therefore remains at the heart of the process. The draft regulations also provide appropriate safeguards in relation to identity verification. Where identity assurance is required for the registration of a birth, individuals will be able to verify their identity through a recognised digital route such as One Login, or by providing documentary evidence to the registrar. The draft regulations set out the types of evidence that may be accepted, giving both registrars and the public clarity about the requirements. Importantly, the approach has been designed to be both secure and inclusive. Not everyone will wish to use digital services, and not everyone will possess the same forms of documentation. By providing more than one route for proving identity, the draft regulations ensure that people can continue to access registration services regardless of their circumstances. The Committee will understandably want reassurance about security, and I can assure Members that the move to electronic registration is supported by robust cyber-security measures, developed in line with guidance from the National Cyber Security Centre and broader Cabinet Office security standards. In addition, the identity verification arrangements are aligned with the Government Digital Service’s “Good Practice Guide 45”, ensuring that checks are both proportionate and effective. The benefits of these changes are significant. An electronic registration system will reduce reliance on paper processes, improve the efficiency and resilience of registration services and provide a stronger platform for future improvements.

It is a real joy, as ever, to serve under your chairship, Mr Stringer. The regulations before us are welcome. They will make it more convenient for people to register major events in their lives, some of which are the most immensely joyous, and some of which are profoundly heartbreaking. We in this place should be very cautious about imposing duties or obligations on people when they experience a major event in their lives. When we impose such obligations, as we clearly do in respect of registering births and deaths, we should try to make it as easy as possible for them to fulfil those obligations. I particularly welcome the move to make the process easier in relation to stillborns, but I urge the Government to look at what more can be done to ensure that those having to register the stillbirth of a child do not, at a time of great difficulty for them, have to go into a waiting room that is often full of babies and parents who are celebrating a great joy coming into their lives. The Bill applies a principle correctly, but it could and should be applied more broadly. The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 introduced by this Government ought to make it simpler to ensure that people’s interactions with the state are as hassle-free as possible, yet in areas such as healthcare, where digitisation and use of personal data can have a profound impact on user experience, we have often heard resistance to reform. Properly implemented digitisation can make life easier for healthcare staff and patients, particularly people waiting for or recovering from major surgery. The difference can be measured in weeks or months of stress and uncertainty. Our duty is to make life simpler for millions of people across the country, so can the Minister say whether this Government are prepared to take the side of the public over trade unions in any future dispute about digitisation, and can she set out what further steps the Government are planning to make it easier for citizens to engage with state services? The regulations before us are welcome. Again, I urge the Minister to specifically look at what more can be done at registry offices for those coming to register a stillbirth, and we hope to see that approach extended to other areas.

In relation to stillborns, the new process will mean that people can telephone or record the death digitally. That means that they can do it in the privacy of their own homes. They will not have to confront the difficulties that are present with going in to register a stillbirth, where there is the fear of seeing people presenting the joyous side of the birth of a new baby. It gives them privacy and comfort, as well as the security that their lives can begin to start again once they have gone through that process. Question put and agreed to .