HSE puts block on summer weddings
COUPLES MUST TRAVEL FOR BIG DAY
Wednesday February 03 2010
COUPLES who want to tie the knot in civil ceremonies in Louth and Meath in July or August are being asked to travel to Cavan or Monaghan for the big day due to lack of staff.
Dreams of a traditional summer wedding may be dashed, as brides wishing to say 'I do', are being told 'no you don't' by HSE chiefs, who because of the moratorium on recruitment can't cover maternity leave in the registry office.
Any existing bookings for those months however, will be honoured.
An official told the Drogheda Independent:
'The Civil Registration service in Meath and Louth is currently not in a position to accept further bookings for Civil Ceremonies from June 2010 The
onwards..... Civil Marriage Service will continue in Cavan and Monaghan and couples are being advised of this service.'
When Drogheda woman Sandra McKeever contacted the Drogheda registry office last week to book her summer wedding to fiancé Michael Reade, she was told she could have a choice of three days before June, but July and August were not possible.
'I had just been making general enquiries, as we just got engaged on Baltray beach on New Year's Eve, and knew we had to give at least three months notice,' says Sandra, whom many will know from the Little Terns project at the coastal village, and is to wed Michael, who has a popular programme on LMFM.
'Firstly, I was told there was only one day left in April, May and June, and they couldn't take bookings in July and August. I was a bit taken aback, but I was lucky that a date in May suits us, but I can't imagine what it must be like to have already booked holidays or a hotel for the summer months.'
HSE Dublin North East has confirmed that all bookings for Civil Marriages in Louth and Meath accepted to date will be honoured.
Sanction has been received to the filling of the vacancy as a result of a retirement, in order to ensure these bookings are honoured.
'The other vacancy is a temporary vacancy and therefore the filling of this post will have to be managed from within existing resources and within the current industrial relations environment,' a spokeswoman told the Drogheda Independent.
'Efforts are being focused on how best to manage existing resources to restore a full service so that new bookings from June 2010 may be accepted in Louth and Meath as quickly as possible.'
- Alison COMYN
