Chapter 10 - Statutory Registration

Accuracy

Statutory registration in Scotland was introduced over 150 years ago. One of the key aims was to establish and maintain a complete and uniform system of registration. Accuracy in the registers of births, deaths and marriages was recognised as important from the outset, and in 1856, it was deemed necessary to create the post of district examiner to inspect the registers in order to guarantee their accuracy. Today there are three district examiners responsible for examining all 140,000 records created annually. The utility of the registers themselves as an archive and the variety of uses, to which the information contained in them is put, is dependent on their accuracy and probity. Extracts from the statutory registers (commonly called certificates) are legal documents admissible as evidence in the courts.

In modern times, statutory responsibility for delivering the registration service in Scotland passed to the 32 local authorities. The service is relatively small, but extremely professional. Registrars are expected to have an expert knowledge in the law and practice of registration and to possess particular skills to help them deal with often difficult human circumstances concerning bereavement. To support them in that work and to ensure sufficiently high standards of service are met, registrars are usually expected to study for, and attain, the Certificate of Proficiency in the Law and Practice of Registration (the numbers of certificate holders in each local authority are contained in the Performance Indicator in Table 10.1).

The Certificate of Proficiency in the Law and Practice of Registration in Scotland is recognised by the Association of Registrars of Scotland (ARoS), the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (CoSLA) and the National Records of Scotland (NRS), as the professional qualification for registration staff. The certificate is awarded and administered by an Examination Board consisting of representatives of ARoS, CoSLA and NRS. The Examination Board was inaugurated in 1937 and the first examination was held in 1938.

The statutory landscape in which registrars are expected to operate is increasingly complex, in the last ten years there have been ten Acts of Parliament (listed below) which have had a significant effect on registration law and practice.

Legislative change affecting registration is a good reflection of a changing society. For example, The Gender Recognition Act 2004 provided for a legal change of gender.

YearNumber of changes of gender in Scotland
200547
200643
200730
200816
200918
201018
201124
201213
201316

With a constantly changing legislative backdrop, and in the face of large scale structural changes affecting how services are delivered, registrars have achieved excellent accuracy. Every year since 2007, registrars in the 32 councils have achieved an average of over 97 per cent of the records they create error free - an impressive performance which underpins the quality and reliability of our records and the statistical data published in this Annual Review. The Performance Indicators in Table 10.1, compiled from the district examiners' reports, provide a council by council breakdown of performance in 2013.

Table 10.1: Registration Service - Performance Indicators 2013 (by Council Area)1
Council Area2013 Events22014 Council Area Data3
Births Deaths Religious Marriages Civil Marriages Total Marriages Civil Partnerships Still-births All Events % of Entries Without Corrections No of Entries with Errors Dedicated Registration Offices Integrated Customer Service Offices Number of Certificate Holders
Footnotes
  1. Reported by the District Examiners.
  2. Includes all events registered in 2013 (including Re-registrations).
  3. Excluding Offices operating from another location.
Aberdeen City2,8372,17741640281820215,87398.8%68107
Aberdeenshire2,4052,1356874461,1331495,69698.3%946613
Angus1,0411,277172210382642,71099.3%18306
Argyll & Bute7049755664219871222,68098.5%41191
Clackmannanshire5765867297169351,33999.3%9105
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar24933464451091069399.0%7132
Dumfries & Galloway1,3531,8841,7262,7324,4587087,77396.9%24361315
Dundee City1,9411,8191763004761374,25698.3%71104
East Ayrshire1,3841,422180232412683,23297.7%740411
East Dunbartonshire1,4071,889118130248533,55299.7%11033
East Lothian1,0431,177359184543852,77697.1%810310
East Renfrewshire1,0411,35017599274332,67197.7%61025
Edinburgh, City of5,7384,0261,1011,6162,7171041412,59997.8%2722221
Falkirk1,6941,6963024037051064,11199.2%331210
Fife3,8033,6358176881,50522138,97898.3%153089
Glasgow City6,8484,6361,3361,2482,584982714,19398.8%1751022
Highland2,2952,3837907011,4911786,19498.4%9712513
Inverclyde76395713672208191,93899.6%7105
Midlothian8578102101493591022,03897.9%42103
Moray962896179185364732,23299.1%20104
North Ayrshire1,3191,55144928373212133,62798.8%420515
North Lanarkshire4,0173,5644974039008118,50099.3%610817
Orkney Islands20323370391091254896.0%22111
Perth & Kinross1,2751,53949847997711133,81598.2%67703
Renfrewshire1,8331,9483512536041074,40298.7%57125
Scottish Borders1,1961,2262383465841143,02197.6%711008
Shetland Islands2592003458920055198.4%9012
South Ayrshire1,0131,427546262808563,25999.4%211110
South Lanarkshire3,3953,7205075111,0181398,15596.6%2790521
Stirling8508282592855791402,27199.0%23245
West Dunbartonshire920924214132346352,19899.1%19208
West Lothian2,1301,4945143398531394,49997.8%97243
Grand total57,35154,71813,75913,75027,544531236140,38098.3%2,34554111267

More information about registration

More detailed information about registration in Scotland can be found in the Registration section of the NRS website.