registrations. Subsequently, the changes came into force on Monday, 17 December 2012. Since its inception CIGO has campaigned for the early release of the Irish 1926 census returns. Through its work CIGO was successful in getting provision for general release of census records in Ireland after only 70 years included in an early amendment during the Bill stages of the Statistics Act 1993. However, this was later increased to an embargo of 100 years before the Act was passed. In 2011, with a change of government in Ireland, the new Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan, recognised CIGO's call to open the 1926 census and went on to promote the value such a move would have to genealogy and roots tourism. However, the move eventually became embroiled in interdepartmental “civil service trench warfare” and the campaign stalled, though not without first having brought the issue to public awareness. Through use of the UK's Freedom of Information Act, in 2010 CIGO was able to secure public access to England & Wales' wartime National Register. A quasi-census, the National Register lists by address every person residing in England & Wales on the night of 29 September 1939, along with their date of birth. Following this, in 2009 the NHSIC opened a service providing information from the National Register on payment of a fee. This had a domino effect and very shortly after access was provided to the National Register in both Scotland and in Northern Ireland. Membership Full membership of CIGO is open to all Family History Societies (and similar organisations) based on the island of Ireland and Associate membership is open to all similar groups based outside Ireland. References External links Council of Irish Genealogical Organisations Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland The Ballinteer Family History Society Clare Roots Society Cork Genealogical Society East Clare Heritage Irish Genealogical Research Society Genealogical societies Organisations based in the Republic of Ireland 1992 establishments in Ireland