Penalties.—The penalty for not giving information, or not complying with the registrar's requisition, or making a false statement, as the case may be, is the same as that provided with reference to the registration of deaths, for which, see following page.
DEATHS, Registration of
Information required to be given where Death occurs in a House.—Where a person dies in any house in England or Wales, it is the duty
- Of the nearest relatives[1]of the deceased present at his death, or in attendance during his last illness; and in default of such relatives,
- Of every other relative of the deceased dwelling or being in the same sub-district[2]as the deceased; and in default of such relatives,
- Of each person present at the death, and of the occupier of the house in which, to his knowledge, the death took place; and in default of the persons above mentioned,
- Of each inmate of such house, and of the person causing the body of the deceased to be buried:—
to give, to the best of his knowledge and belief, to the registrar of deaths, within five days[3] after the death, information of the particulars required to be registered and to sign the register.
Where the deceased has been attended during his last illness by a registered medical practitioner, such medical practitioner must sign and deliver to one of the persons required to give information concerning the death, a certificate stating, to the best of his knowledge and belief, the cause of death, which certificate must be delivered to the registrar by such person on giving information concerning the death.[4]
If a person required to give information concerning the death sends to the registrar a written notice of the occurrence of the death, accompanied by a medical certificate as to its cause, the information of the particulars required may be given within fourteen (instead of five) days after the date of death, by the person giving such notice or by some other of the persons required to give the information.
Upon a written request the registrar may register the death at the residence of the person making such request, or at the house where the deceased died; but in such cases the registrar will, unless the death took place in a public institution, be entitled to a fee of 1s. For registration under ordinary circumstances no fee is chargeable.
Information to be given where Person dies, or is found dead, elsewhere than in a House.—Where a person dies in a place which is not a house, or a dead body is found elsewhere than in a house, it is the duty—
- Of every relative of such deceased person having knowledge of any of the particulars required to be registered concerning the death; and in default of such relative,
- Of every person present at the death, and of any person finding, and of any person taking charge of, the body, and of the person causing it to be buried; to give to the registrar, within five days after the death or the finding of the body, such information of the particulars as he possesses.
Procedure where Persons responsible fail to give Information.—If owing to the default of the persons required to give information a death has not been registered, the registrar may, at any time after fourteen days and within
- ↑ "Relative" includes a relative by marriage.
- ↑ That is, within the area for which a registrar is appointed the whole district being under the management of a superintendent registrar.
- ↑ Or 14 days under the circumstances mentioned below.
- ↑ It is the general duty of any person in whose house a violent or unnatural death occurs to immediately communicate with the Police; if possible, while the body remains in the same position as when the person died.
