I move:—
That a supplementary sum not exceeding £527 be granted to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending 31st March, 1945, for the Salaries and Expenses of the Land Registry (40 & 41 Vict., c. 57; 54 & 55 Vict., c. 66; No. 10 of 1924, Sec. 102; and No. 26 of 1942, Sec. 22); and of the Registry of Deeds (2 & 3 Will. 4, c. 87; 27 & 28 Vict., c. 76; 38 & 39 Vict., c. 5; and 46 & 47 Vict., c. 20).
This case arose over a mistake that was made in a map. Up to the passing of the Registration of Title Act a couple of years ago, there was an insurance fund, and such mistakes were paid for out of that fund. What happened in this case is that, about 50 years ago, there was an estate sold, and, apparently, the map was not correct. There was a small cottage included in this map which should not have been included. That was not discovered until the person who was left in the little cottage, or the descendants, went to sell the cottage and found, when they went to look for the title, that the cottage had been included in the land that had been sold. The case went to the courts, and it was not until it went to the Supreme Court that it was decided that the mistake had been made and that this cottage should not have been included.
That could have been paid for before out of that insurance fund, which was fed by fees. There was a certain proportion of the fees payable to the Land Registry set apart for the insurance fund. When the Registration of Title Act was being passed, about three or four years ago, that fund was abolished and the Exchequer had to pay for any mistakes of that kind that might occur. That is the reason why this Supplementary Estimate is introduced.
