The clerk of orphans' court of every county shall execute a statistical summary of the marriage license applications for marriages solemnized within this Commonwealth. The department shall prescribe the forms of such summary and the forms of marriage license applications. On or before the fifteenth day of each calendar month, each clerk of orphans' court shall transmit to the department the summary of all marriage license applications pertaining to the executed marriage license certificates filed with the clerk during the immediately preceding calendar month. The applicants for each marriage license shall, in addition to the fee for the license, pay to the clerk of orphans' court a fee of fifty cents ($.50) for the execution and transmission of the summary required by this section. The department, at its discretion, may prescribe the method by which the transmission of the statistical summaries to the department is to occur under this section, including, but not limited to, transmission by paper copy by mail or other courier, facsimile transmission or electronic means.