Plans to allow wedding couples to say "I do" at a venue of their choosing have been put on hold once again because of problems linked to the decentralisation of Civil Service staff to Roscommon.
For the third time, the General Register Office has postponed the introduction of new, more liberal marriage rules. Although the relevant legislation was passed in February 2004, the new laws are unlikely to be introduced until summer 2007 at the earliest.
The new regulations will allow marriage ceremonies to take place in venues other than churches or registry offices.
A list of over 5,000 officially recognised solemnisers, nominated by civil and religious authorities, will be drawn up to officiate at marriage ceremonies.
Kieran Feely, of the General Register Office, yesterday declined to say the project had been delayed but agreed that "the schedule has changed".
The development of the computer project giving effect to the changes coincided with the decentralisation of staff in the office from Dublin to Roscommon. "It was hoped to get things done a lot quicker than this," Mr Feely admitted.
"You can only do one task at a time," he replied, when asked if the decentralisation had caused the delay.
The computer system was now being "redeveloped" by consultants Accenture and this work was now half completed, he estimated. "A lot can happen and go wrong on a project as complex as this. We can't afford any mistakes and this has to work from day one. Every computer project experiences delays and I don't see why this should be any different."
More than 50 people work in the General Register Office in Roscommon. Fifteen of these have moved from Dublin.
The register office originally planned to implement the marriage reforms in the Civil Registration Act 2004 in early 2005.
