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When the House of Assembly meets on Tuesday, April 1, 2014, members will consider amendments to the Civil Status Act, the Civil Code Act and the Code of Civil Procedure Amendment Act.
These legislative changes are necessary to resolve the remaining problems at the Registry of Civil Status and the Adjudicator’s office.
Prime Minister Dr. Kenny D. Anthony said the current legislative requirements make it difficult for some individuals to secure rectification of their documents. The proposed amendments will confer greater discretion to the adjudicator to resolve difficult cases.
“These legislative changes are vital. There are many persons who have not been able to receive birth certificates or even rectify errors on such documents, because they are required to produce their grandparents’ birth certificates. In some instances, these grandparents are deceased and the applicants do not even know where to begin the search.
I understand the need to protect the authenticity of these documents and fully appreciate that there should be no doubt when issuing birth certificates, marriage certificates and the like. This is the primary reason for requesting such documents. However, following up on a review of the operations of the Civil Status Registry and the Adjudicator’s Office, the time has come to address the legislative barriers that currently stand in the way of access to civil status documents.
Every citizen has a right to a birth certificate. There are many citizens who are unable to apply for passports or have been unable to transact business where these documents are required, due to the current constraints.
The proposed amendments will address some of the barriers and will allow for the exercise of greater authority by the adjudicator when dealing with the rectification of documents in difficult cases,” Dr. Anthony said.
The sitting of the House Assembly commences at 10 a.m. and will be aired live on the National Television Network.