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The Baby Loss Certificate Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026

Draft. This instrument was laid in draft and may differ from the one made. Look for the made version under its title.

Draft 2026, ISBN 9780338026361

Original text. legislation.gov.uk does not revise statutory instruments, so later amendments are not shown here. Changes made to it are listed under each provision when known.

Draft Regulations laid before the Assembly under section 11 of the Deaths, Still-Births and Baby Loss Act (Northern Ireland) 2026, for approval

Registration Of Births, Deaths, Etc

Made xx June 2026

Coming into operation 15 June 2026

The Department of Finance, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 11 of the Deaths, Still-Births and Baby Loss Act (Northern Ireland) 2026f1, makes the following Regulations:

Annotations to the whole text

Footnotes

f1

2026 (c.2)

Contents

  1. 1Citation and commencement
  2. 2Citation and commencement
  3. 3Interpretation
  4. 4Baby Loss Certificate
  5. 5Application for Baby Loss Certificate
  6. 6Record of Baby Loss Certificates
  7. 7Amendment to certificate
  8. Signature
  9. Explanatory note

1Citation and commencement

These Regulations may be cited as the Baby Loss Certificate Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026.

2Citation and commencement

These Regulations come into operation on 15 June 2026.

3Interpretation

In these Regulations—

  • “baby loss” means the loss of a baby during pregnancy that is not a still-birth within the meaning of section 2(2) of the Births and Deaths Registration (Northern Ireland) Order 1976f1;

  • “Registrar General” means the Registrar General of Births and Deaths in Northern Ireland;

  • “second female parent” means a woman who is a parent of a child by virtue of section 42, 43 or, where appropriate, section 46(1) or (2) of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008f2.

4Baby Loss Certificate

(1)

The Registrar General may, on receipt of an application under regulation 5, issue a Baby Loss Certificate.

(2)

A Baby Loss Certificate may contain the following particulars—

(a)

the name of the baby;

(b)

the date of the baby loss;

(c)

the date of delivery of the baby;

(d)

the sex of the baby;

(e)

the place of the baby loss;

(f)

the mother’s full name;

(g)

the full name of the father or second female parent, if they consent for their name to be included on the Baby Loss Certificate.

(3)

A Baby Loss Certificate must contain—

(a)

a reference number for the certificate; and

(b)

the date on which the certificate is issued.

5Application for Baby Loss Certificate

(1)

The following persons may apply to the Registrar General for a Baby Loss Certificate—

(a)

the mother;

(b)

the father or second female parent.

(2)

The application must contain the following particulars—

(a)

the mother’s full name;

(b)

the full name of the father or second female parent, if their name is to be included on the certificate;

(c)

the consent of any parent other than the applicant, whose name is to be included on the certificate;

(d)

the applicant’s postal address and telephone number.

(3)

The application may contain the following particulars if the applicant wishes for them to be included on the Baby Loss Certificate—

(a)

the name of the baby;

(b)

the date of the baby loss;

(c)

the date of the delivery of the baby;

(d)

the place of the baby loss;

(e)

the sex of the baby.

(4)

A single application may be made for more than one baby loss.

6Record of Baby Loss Certificates

(1)

The Registrar General must maintain a record of Baby Loss Certificates issued under these Regulations.

(2)

The record must not be open to public inspection and no search may be conducted of the record by anyone other than the Registrar General or an officer delegated for that purpose by the Registrar General.

7Amendment to certificate

(1)

An applicant to whom a Baby Loss Certificate has been issued under regulation 4 may apply to the Registrar General for an amendment to the Baby Loss Certificate.

(2)

The application must include—

(a)

the nature of the amendment sought to the Baby Loss Certificate; and

(b)

the consent of any parent, other than the applicant, whose name is included on the Baby Loss Certificate or whose name is to be included on the same by way of amendment.

(3)

On receipt of an application, the Registrar General may—

(a)

amend the Baby Loss Certificate; and

(b)

issue the duly amended Baby Loss Certificate.

Signature

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Finance on ***

Name

A senior officer of the

Department of Finance

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations establish the framework for the provision of a Baby Loss Certificate scheme for parents who have lost a baby prior to the end of the 24th week of pregnancy.

Regulation 4 sets out the particulars that may be contained in a Baby Loss Certificate.

Regulation 5 sets out who can apply for a Baby Loss Certificate and the particulars that may be provided in the application.

Regulation 6 provides that a record of Baby Loss Certificates issued must be maintained by the Registrar General and that this record must not be open to public inspection.

Regulation 7 provides for an amendment of a Baby Loss Certificate.