772. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Social Protection the procedure by which a person resident in the State who was married in the Lithuanian Embassy in Dublin prior to 2020 may have that marriage registered or otherwise recognised; if any provision exists under the Civil Registration Act 2004 for the registration of marriages solemnised in foreign diplomatic missions in the State; and if he is aware that the General Register Office has advised such a person that it cannot provide this service. [65330/26]

The Civil Registration Act 2004, as amended, provides a mechanism whereby marriage ceremonies performed at certain embassies or diplomatic missions prior to November 2020 may be registered in the register of marriages.

The legislation sets out various criteria that must apply in order for the ceremony to be so registered. The legislation further provides that the registration of a marriage ceremony that took place at an embassy or diplomatic mission is a function reserved for local civil registration staff, who are HSE employees. This is not a function that can legally be provided by the General Register Office (GRO) in Roscommon, which operates within the remit of my Department.

General Register Office (GRO) in Roscommon is the central civil repository for birth, death, marriage, civil partnership, and adoption records in Ireland. The office is responsible for maintaining official records and issuing certificates for life events such as births, deaths, marriages, civil partnerships, and adoption. The GRO provides support and/or training requirements to the local registration staff to facilitate them to carry out their duty under all civil registration legislation.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.