Computer glitch hits registration

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Technical problems have forced half of the register offices in England and Wales to abandon a new computer system for recording births and deaths.

The £6m system, only introduced in March, crashed under the volume of data it had to process, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

Staff have been told to use the old system until the new one is fixed.

A spokesman for the register offices said the new system had caused "far too much stress".

Geoffrey Theobald, chairman of the Local Authorities Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS), said councils would still ensure births and deaths were registered legally.

But he said they had received no guidance from the ONS on what the problem was or when it would be fixed, and in the meantime, there was "serious concern" about the amount of extra work it was causing for staff.

"Not only does it mean more time and resources, but there has been no indication from the GRO (General Register Office) that additional financial costs will be reimbursed," he added.

As well as births and deaths, the registration online (RON) system has been used to record details of civil partnerships since 2005.

The ONS eventually intends to use it for marriages as well.

A spokesman for the ONS, of which the GRO is part, said: "The ONS very much regrets that the system has not operated effectively in all areas and that a small number of people registering events will have experienced some delays when reporting births and deaths."