Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what disaster recovery and business continuity testing has been undertaken ahead of the introduction of the General Register Office's electronic registration system on 9 November 2026; and what arrangements are in place for local authorities affected by network failures or cyberattacks.

The system used by registrars to record births and deaths electronically has been in place since 2009 and is designed with multiple levels of resilience to protect data. Since this system was introduced, any changes are subject to rigorous and well-established testing processes and are assured before implementation.

Disaster recovery and local business continuity arrangements are maintained to support the service. For local network failures or cyber incidents, arrangements can include partnership arrangements with neighbouring registration districts. The existing out-of-district declaration process will also remain available, allowing information to be taken manually for subsequent registration once the electronic register is available.