The Registration of Births and Deaths Regulations 1987

PART I PRELIMINARY

Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Registration of Births and Deaths Regulations 1987 and shall come into force on 1st January 1988.

Interpretation

2.—(1) In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires–

“the Act” means the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953(1);

“approved form” means a form approved by the Registrar General for the purpose for which it is used;

“certificate of cause of death” means a certificate required to be signed by a medical practitioner pursuant to section 22(1) of the Act;

“coroner” includes a deputy coroner and an assistant deputy coroner;

“description”, in relation to a coroner, means his official designation and the area of his jurisdiction;

“entry” means a record of the particulars relating to a live-birth, still-birth or death completed by the registrar in the appropriate spaces in form 1, 9 or 13;

“inquest” includes an inquest which has been adjourned under section 20(1) of the Coroners (Amendment) Act 1926(2) (whether or not the inquest is subsequently resumed);

“maiden surname”, in relation to a woman who has married, means the surname under which she contracted her marriage or, if married more than once, her first marriage;

“name”, in relation to a person, excludes surname;

“name, surname and qualification”, in relation to a registered medical practitioner who has issued a certificate of cause of death, means his name and surname as stated on the certificate and his registered professional qualification;

“relevant registrar” and “relevant superintendent registrar”, in relation to the registration of a birth or death, mean (subject to paragraph (3)(b) below) the registrar of the sub-district, and the superintendent registrar of the district, in which the birth or death occurred.

(2) In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires–

(a) any reference to a numbered regulation is to the regulation in these Regulations bearing that number and any reference in a regulation to a numbered paragraph is to the paragraph of that Regulation bearing that number;

(b) any reference to a numbered form is to the form bearing that number in Schedule 2 to these Regulations and any reference to a numbered space in a form is to the space bearing that number in that form.

(3) Where a still-born child is found exposed or a dead body is found, any reference in these Regulations to–

(a) the date of the still-birth or of the death of the deceased person, is to be construed as a reference to the date on which the still-born child or the deceased was found;

(b) the place where the still-birth or death occurred is, if the place is unknown, to be construed as a reference to the place where the still-born child or the deceased was found.

(1)

1953 c. 20.

(2)

1926 c. 59.