GRO digitising birth records dating back to 1896

The General Register Office (GRO) will soon begin creating a digitised database of records of birth dating back to 1896.

This is according to Minister of Citizenship Winston Felix, who noted that the existence of such an archive will facilitate faster search results for birth records and the reduction of time taken to produce a birth certificate.

Felix, speaking on Wednesday during the ongoing budget debate, reported to the National Assembly that the first phase of the project, which entails building a database of records from 1987 to present, has already begun. He further stated that the second project will cover the period of 1896 to 1986. It is currently in the procurement phase and is set to commence shortly, he added.

The minister further noted that the ministry is seeking to adopt the best international practices to improve its system and he referenced President David Granger’s mention in October of plans to table a National Registration Amendment Bill that will allow for the inclusion of biometrics on identification cards.

The ultimate outcome of this, he related, would be to provide citizens with one identification number at birth and which will be applied to all other official documentation requiring ID that that the person will acquire throughout their lifetime.

“This process envisions that once a birth is registered, they should carry one registration number to death. In other words, there is no need for 15 or more ID cards. The same ID number you have at birth would be the one at the time of registration. The same number proceeds to your driver’s licence, TIN number and bank accounts,” he stated.

Such a system, Felix explained, will allow for the prevention of fraud.