The Newsletter of the Family Records Centre (FRC) - Issue 19 Summer 2002 (6th online edition)

General News From The FRC

Closure Dates in 2002

Monday 26 August (August Bank Holiday)
Wednesday 25 to Saturday 28 December
(Christmas)

We're still talking to you!

We are very pleased to announce that as well as delivering his talk "How Our Ancestors Lived", David Hey will be at the FRC on Tuesday 6 August to sign copies of his book of the same name.

Also, due to exceptionally high demand for tickets, the talk on Internet Databases, which took place on 16 July, will now be repeated on 13 August. So, the remaining talks are:

The talks will take place at 2.00pm in the FRC Meetings Room on the first floor and will last for roughly an hour.

This year's talks have been very popular and we're already starting to plan another round for next year. Meanwhile, as part of the PRO's celebration of Black History Month, we are very proud to welcome Paul Crooks to the FRC on Tuesday 15 October. Paul will be giving a reading from his new book 'Ancestors' from 5:30 pm in the FRC Meetings Room on the first floor. Ancestors is the story of Paul's thirteen-year quest to find his Jamaican and African forebears.

Entry is free for all these events and tickets will be issued from the New Customers Desk on the first floor on the day of the talk. No advance bookings will be taken.

Family History Fairs

The FRC and/or the GRO will be attending the following Family History Fairs this year:

North Wales Family History Fair
Saturday 7 September (10.00am to 4.30pm) Llandudno Conference Centre

Hampshire Genealogical Society Open Day
Sunday 22 September (10.00am to 4.00pm)
Horndean Community School, Barton Hall, Horndean

North West Group Family History Fair
Sunday 27 October (10.30am to 4.30pm)
Manchester Town Hall

If you're in the area why not come along and find out all about our services.

Interesting Finds

We've had some lovely examples sent in over the past few years: a woman who was described by the census enumerator as an 'Eccentric Lady', a pair of twins called 'Bank' and 'Holiday' and the wonderful case of a 'Retired Smuggler' and a 'Retired Customs Officer' living in the same street in Penzance. We've now got a dedicated 'Interesting Finds' noticeboard in the Exhibition Area on the first floor so please...keep them coming.

The Lewis Carroll exhibition will be on display for a few more months - next up is Charles Dickens. Regular visitors will have noticed that we've introduced a comments book for FRC exhibitions. Please take the time to let us know what you think of the current display and any ideas you might have for future exhibitions.

Staff News

After over three years at the FRC, the PRO's Centre Manager, Lee Oliver, has moved back to Kew. In his new post as head of the PRO's Public Services Development Programme, Lee will still have an important role to play in the development of the FRC. The PRO service at the Family Records Centre will be managed jointly by Dave Annal and Clive Hawkins, until a successor to Lee is appointed.

We are also saying goodbye to Laura Urwin, the ONS Operations Manager for the last year, who has retired. Although Laura was not at the FRC for very long she has been with ONS for over 25 years. We know that many of our customers who met Laura would want to wish her a long and happy retirement.

All change at the GRO, Southport

In the Spring 2002 issue of The Family Record we told you about Carol Clarke's move from Certificate Services to Facilities Management.

Carol's Post as Communications and Public Relations Manager has now been filled by Mel Connell. Mel began working for the Civil Service in 1986 and is no stranger to Registration. In 1991 she took up a post in the GRO Adoptions section where she was involved in setting up the Adoption Contact Register.

Since 1998 Mel has managed the Receipt and Indexing unit and the Postal Applications teams in Certificate Services branch. Mel has enjoyed her time in the production teams and looks forward, as the new Public Relations manager, to the challenge of maintaining and improving our services.

Open Meeting - May 2002

The following is a summary of the questions and comments made by customers at the Open Meeting at the FRC on 18 May 2002 together with our responses.

Q. Some of the 1851 census is so faint it is impossible to read, yet at some point a surname index was produced.
A. The index may not have been created from a microfilm but from the original document, many years ago. If films are difficult to read, ask a member of staff for help. If necessary, arrangements can be made for the document to be viewed at Kew, or for staff there to transcribe a particular entry.

Q. Why is some of the information on the 1841 (and other) censuses listed as 'missing'?
A. The information went missing a long time ago, before the records were transferred to the PRO.

Q. Are there any plans to produce more street indexes?
A. No. The PRO has produced indexes for all districts with a population greater than 40,000. Other organisations and some individuals have produced others, which the FRC has obtained where possible. The FRC would be interested in obtaining any other street indexes that are available.

Q. When will the 1901 census be available on-line?
A. When we have any further information we will publicise it on posters around the FRC. It is not possible for us to comment on any of the technical problems.

Q. Are there any plans to digitise the earlier censuses and if there are, what will happen to the films?
A. There is no work under way or planned at the moment as all the PRO's energies are focused on the 1901 census. In any case this is not entirely a PRO matter as digitising the records is likely to involve other organisations. It is the PRO's stated intention to make the other censuses available online.

Q. Does the FRC intend to obtain probate indexes more recent than 1943.
A. Unfortunately the later indexes are not available on fiche or in any other format for the FRC to obtain.

Q. In the Public Search Room (PSR) the birth, marriage and death indexes are more concentrated in some areas than in others. What can be done?
A. We keep the situation under constant review and make changes wherever possible. Many of our customers make suggestions about layout which we always consider and adopt where practicable. We do however always have to bear in mind health and safety considerations.

Q. Some customers take up valuable space at the lecterns completing application forms immediately they have found the index reference.
A. When we are not too busy, staff at the customer service desk will go out on the floor of the PSR to assist and advise customers. Other than this there is little we can do.

Q. Why not have more information in the indexes to minimise errors?
A. In view of the registration review there are no plans to change the indexes.

Q. What is the time scale for the review?
A. Legislative changes are unlikely before 2004/5

Q. In the light of the registration review, will paper copies of certificates still be available?
A. As information becomes available electronically it is likely that demand for paper certificates will diminish over time.

Q. Is it true that the adoption indexes are going to be removed from the PSR?
A. This is not something that we are aware of. [After the meeting this was referred to the registration review team who confirmed that there were no plans to do so.]

Q. There seem to have been some production difficulties recently - part orders received and also checking sheets marked "tape missing".
A. Apologies for the "tape missing" message. This is an internal message only and should not have been sent to customers. This is a quality issue which we will address. If we are nearing the deadline for our target turn around time part orders will be despatched at different times on the same day. If we are ahead of target we will wait until the whole order is ready for despatch.

Q. If we report a mistake in the indexes how long does it take for a correction to be made to the indexes at the FRC?
A. The information is checked by staff in Southport, who issue an interlining sheet as appropriate. These sheets are sent to the FRC for staff to update the indexes. This work is up to date at the moment, so from reporting the error to amending the index should take no more than two months.

Q. The continuing use of the Victorian (vellum) indexes is damaging them. Are there any plans to replace them with typed indexes?
A. Once the older records have been computerised and made available on the Internet, it should be possible to undertake searches electronically. Decisions on the conservation of existing records will be made as part of the Review process.

Q. If a registration index book has been removed for repair what should we do?
A. Ask the staff at the customer service desk to give you access to the relevant microfiche.

Q. There should be decaffeinated coffee and soup available from the vending machines.
A. Decaffeinated coffee was originally provided but the vending company found that there was little demand. More 'normal' coffee was made available instead. There are currently four different soups available from the machines.

Q. Some of the hand-dryers in the men's toilet on the lower ground floor do not work properly.
A. The two dryers in the lower ground floor men's toilets have now been replaced. We will continue to monitor the situation.

Date of the next Open Meeting

The FRC's next Open Meeting will take place on Wednesday 6 November 2002 at 5:30pm.

Catering Survey

Many thanks to everyone who completed the survey of catering facilities on the lower ground floor. From the responses, it would appear that many of you would welcome the introduction of a catering facility, as long as the seating capacity is not reduced. We are therefore currently revising our plans to consider whether catering options could be broadened without a reduction in seating.

News From The GRO

Complaints and Compliments

Each month the General Register Office compiles information on the number and type of complaints and compliments received. During the first quarter of this financial year, the office recorded a total of 134 complaints and 62 compliments from its service users. These complaints and compliments were received via telephone, e-mail, and fax or face to face at the Family Records Centre and at the General Register Office in Southport.

The type and quality of complaints received are shown in the following table.

As part of the Office's internal complaints procedure the complaints received are reviewed at management meetings and work processes are examined to see what can be done to avoid the potential for similar complaints in the future.

Each month a percentage of customers who make a complaint are sent a form to ask how they felt their complaint was dealt with. The feedback gathered from this is used to continually assess our complaint policy and ensure that all complaints are dealt with fairly and promptly.

In April the GRO received 73 complaints and 15 compliments. But throughout this quarter the number of complaints has dropped significantly and in June the office recorded just 17 complaints compared to a total of 21 compliments.

If you feel unhappy with any aspect of the service you have received from the GRO, a booklet has been specifically designed to help you make a complaint. The Putting Things Right booklet is available at the Family Records Centre and by request from the Call Centre on 0845 603 7788. A version of this booklet is also available on the ONS website. Go to www.statistics.gov.uk then follow the links to birth, marriage and death registration.

Delivery Targets

We are happy to report that during the first quarter of this financial year (2002/03) we met the majority of our turnaround targets for certificates, as well as replying to 99% of all correspondence (letter, e-mails and faxes) on time.

During this period we processed 182,026 applications for certificates with over 97% produced on time. This compares well with our performance during this period last year when 95% of 180,000 certificates went out on time. It is also a huge improvement over our performance of two and three years ago when a number of factors contributed to lengthy delays in processing applications.

Southport Open Days

For the third year running the Certificate Services Branch in Southport are opening their doors to members of the public interested in the workings of the office.

Due to the successful nature of the event in previous years the office has extended the number of Open Days to four. The dates for the Open Days this year have now been confirmed as 15, 16, 21 and 22 November.

Visitors will be provided with an introduction to the work undertaken by the office before going on a guided tour of the production areas and Call Centre. Each tour lasts for approximately two hours.

If you would like to attend one of the Open Days, please contact Maddi Brammah or Sharon Edwards in the Public Relations Unit on 0151 471 4621.

How many records does the GRO hold?

During the recent York Family History Fair a number of visitors to the General Register Office stand asked for information about the number of records of events that are held by the Office. Here are a few facts and figures...

The GRO holds over 245 million records of birth, death and marriage events, and we currently receive between 1.2 and 1.5 million new records each year.

Microfilmed copies of certificates relating to the events are stored on 78,780 tapes housed in specially designed storage/retrieval machines at Southport. This relates to:

which gives us a grand total of 245,224,984 records. However, this figure does not include records relating to overseas records, adoptions or re-registered events.

News From The PRO

Ancestors magazine

If you haven't yet read Ancestors, the glossiest and most authoritative UK family history magazine, it's time to pick up a copy for only £3.95 from the FRC bookshop. Published bi-monthly by the PRO, it gives the inside track on newly released and underused sources for family historians at the PRO and FRC, as well as articles about records from other repositories at home and abroad, and essential historical background.

Subscriptions start at only £22 for one year. Call the Subscription Hotline on 01226 734627 or subscribe on-line at: www.pro.gov.uk/ancestorsmagazine to see what you've been missing.

Soldier's Documents

The final batch of First World War soldier's papers (for surnames beginning with the letter G) will be released on Monday 19 August. These records are available on microfilm in the record series WO 363 and can be seen at the Public Record Office, Kew.

PRO-Online

The collection of PCC wills available online has now expanded to include those from 1820-1829. If you haven't already done so, why not have a look at the website at: www.pro-online.pro.gov.uk

Further information

If you would like more information about any of the items in this newsletter please telephone
020 8392 5300

To subscribe to the electronic version of the Family Record please send an email to:

FRC-Newsletter@pro.gov.uk

with the word 'Subscribe' in the subject heading.

The Family Record is jointly produced by the General Register Office (GRO) and the Public Record Office (PRO).