Overview

The Registration of Births and Deaths (Welsh Language) Bill aims to ensure that birth and death registrations in Wales can be completed in both Welsh and English, providing bilingual certificates and improving language access for Welsh speakers.

Description

This bill amends the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953. Key changes include:

• Bilingual Registration: Allows for the registration of births and deaths using both Welsh and English, with the Registrar General maintaining bilingual registers.
• Bilingual Certificates: Permits the issuance of birth and death certificates in either Welsh or English, even if the original registration was bilingual.
• Consequential Amendments: The bill makes several consequential amendments to the 1953 Act to ensure consistency with the new bilingual provisions, primarily clarifying language around the registration of parents' names. These amendments are focused on ensuring that the changes to the registration process are implemented cleanly.

Government Spending

The bill doesn't directly specify government spending figures. The costs will likely be related to administrative changes required to implement bilingual registration and certificate issuance, but no specific financial impact is mentioned in the provided text.

Groups Affected

• Welsh speakers: This bill directly benefits Welsh speakers by providing them with the option to register births and deaths, and obtain certificates, entirely in Welsh.
• Registrars: Registrars will need to adapt their processes to accommodate bilingual registrations and certificate requests.
• Government agencies: The Registrar General's office and other relevant government bodies will need to make adjustments to their systems and procedures.

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