(Home Office) General Register Office to Join Identity and Passport Service

The change will mean that the responsibility for overseeing the recording of births, marriages, civil partnerships and deaths in England and Wales will transfer from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which is to become independent of ministers, to the Identity and Passport Service, an Executive Agency of the Home Office. GRO Scotland and GRO Northern Ireland remain the responsibility of the devolved administrations.

IPS reports to Meg Hillier, Home Office Minister responsible for Identity. Welcoming the change, Meg Hillier said:

"The Identity and Passport Service and the General Register Office for England and Wales are already working closely together.

"In order to take this work a step further and fully realise the benefits of combining registration of life events in England and Wales and the issuing of passports, it is sensible that the IPS and GRO should be part of the same organisation."

IPS Chief Executive James Hall said:

"The General Register Office joining the Identity and Passport Service is welcome news. Working as one organisation will allow us to explore the possibility of integrating passport, identity card and life event registration processes. This would reduce red tape and make life easier for people, as well as strengthen the integrity of our systems."