Colleagues in offices which attract family history enquiries may wish to
know that the 'Traceline' service which for some years has been prominent
on the G.R.O. homepage has been withdrawn from public use with effect from
April 1. Although it is not strictly an archival matter I often had
occasion to refer enquirers to it as the best way forward for their
research.
This follows the transfer of the service from ONS to the Information
Centre for Health and Social Care.
I managed to speak to a lady in Traceline who informed me that they would
still accept enquiries from charities such as the Salvation Army, and that
if a person was trying to trace a relative this was now the only route
open to them. She would not comment on why the new management had
withdrawn the service but it was, as far as I understand it, a deliberate
decision to do so with no advance notice. Certainly, if there was any
consultation I was unaware of it.
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