Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953

11 Special provision as to registration of still–birth. E+W

(1) Any qualified informant giving information to the registrar of the particulars required to be registered concerning a still–birth shall upon giving that information either—

[F1 (a) deliver to the registrar a certificate in the prescribed form signed by a registered medical practitioner who was present at the birth or has examined the body of the child, or, if no registered medical practitioner was so present or has examined the body, by a [F2 registered midwife] who was so present or has examined the body, being a certificate stating that the child was not born alive and, where possible, stating to the best of the knowledge and belief of the person signing it the cause of death and the estimated duration of the pregnancy; or]

(b) make a declaration in the prescribed form to the effect that no registered medical practitioner or [F2 registered midwife] was present at the birth or has examined the body, or that his or her certificate cannot be obtained, and that the child was not born alive.

[F3 (1A) Every registered medical practitioner or [F2 certified midwife][F2 registered midwife] who is present at a still–birth or examines the body of a still–born child shall, at the request of any person who is a qualified informant as to the birth, give to that person a certificate for the purposes of paragraph (a) of the foregoing subsection.]

[F4 (1B) Where information of the particulars required to be registered concerning a still-birth is given by means of a declaration in writing in accordance with section 9(1) of this Act—

(a) subsection (1) of this section shall apply to the person by whom the declaration is made as if the references to the registrar were to the officer in whose presence the declaration is made; and

(b) that officer shall send the certificate delivered, or the declaration made, under that subsection to the registrar.]

(2) The registrar upon registering a still–birth shall, if so required, give either to the informant or to the person who has control over, or who ordinarily effects the disposal of bodies at, the place at which it is intended to dispose of the child’s body a certificate under his hand in the prescribed form that he has registered the still–birth, but may, on receiving written notice of the still–birth accompanied by such a certificate as is mentioned in paragraph (a) of [F5 subsection (1) of this section], before registering the still–birth give to the person sending the notice a certificate that he has received notice of the still–birth; and any certificate given under this subsection shall be given without fee.

(3) A registrar by whom a certificate has been given under the last foregoing subsection may, upon receiving a satisfactory explanation of any circumstances by reason of which the certificate is not available for the purposes of the enactments relating to the disposal of the bodies of dead persons, issue . . . F6 a duplicate thereof either to the person to whom the original certificate was given or to the person effecting the disposal; and any such duplicate certificate shall be in a distinctive form.

Textual Amendments

F1 S. 11(1)(a) substituted by Population (Statistics) Act 1960 (c. 32), s. 2(1)

F2 Words “registered midwife” substituted for words “certified midwife” by Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors Act 1979 (c. 36), s. 24(2), Sch. 7 para. 7

F3 S. 11(1A) inserted by Population (Statistics) Act 1960 (c. 32), s. 2(2)

F4 S. 11(1B) inserted (1.4.1997) by S.I. 1996/2395, art. 2(3)

F5 Words substituted by Population (Statistics) Act 1960 (c. 32), s. 3(3)

F6 Words repealed by S.I. 1968/1242, Sch. 2