I move:
That a supplementary sum not exceeding £10 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1970, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for Justice, and of certain other services administered by that Office, including a grant-in-aid; and of the Public Record Office, and of the Keeper of State Papers and for the purchase of Historical Documents, etc.
As Deputies are aware, the fact that I am moving only a token estimate for one of my Votes arises from the passing last evening by the House of the full amounts involved in my Votes, in common with other Votes which had not been discussed up to yesterday. With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose, as has been the practice in previous years, to treat the six Votes for which I am responsible as one group so that there may be one general discussion, without, of course, prejudicing the right of any Deputy to raise a particular point on any individual Vote.
The total estimate for all these Votes is £12,673,000. The total provision for the year 1968-69 was £12,386,900. The total provision for the present year is therefore higher by £286,100 than the corresponding figure for last year.
The Vote for the Office of the Minister for Justice caters for the staff and services of the Department's headquarters, and shows an increase of £15,000. This increase is accounted for by a small increase in staff and normal incremental progression.
There is in my Department, as Deputies are aware, a long-term programme of law reform. Much has already been done in the field of law reform but it is true to say that activity of this nature can be foreseen for many years to come. I should like to mention those particular projects which have now reached an advanced stage and which are most likely to become matters of practical interest to this House in the near future. These include: (1) legislation to deal with the jurisdiction of the Circuit Court and District Court, and other related matters, such as the entitlement of solicitors to appointment to the Circuit Court bench and the right of solicitors to plead before every court in the land; (2) a Criminal Injuries Bill; (3) a Criminal Justice Bill; (4) a comprehensive Landlord and Tenant Bill; and (5) legislation to modernise practice in the registry of deeds.
A number of other legislative proposals are also under active consideration, including Bills to provide for the enforcement of foreign judgments and maintenance orders and a Bill dealing with the jury system, which will have regard to the recommendations contained in the reports of the committee on court practice and procedure on this subject. Of necessity, I have to deal with particular projects on a priority basis and having regard to what appear to me to be practical considerations. One of these considerations is, of course, that the strength of the skilled advisory staff assigned to law reform work is at all times severely limited.
Up to the present, the committee on court practice and procedure have submitted nine interim reports. In addition, at my request, the committee have made available to me an extract from a further report which deals with the organisation of the district court in Dublin city and county.
In this extract the committee recommended unanimously certain changes in the structure of the district court in Dublin city and county. I have obtained the views of those affected, i.e., the justices concerned, the Incorporated Law Society, the Bar Council, the local authorities and the Garda Síochána on the recommendations and these are now being considered.
Three of the interim reports of the committee on court practice and procedure deal with the jury system, and another deals with the question of increased jurisdiction for the district court and circuit court. Proposals for legislation are at present being prepared on these and other related matters, and I shall submit these proposals to the Government shortly.
Two reports deal with the reorganisation of the structure of the courts on the criminal side. I hope to introduce amending legislation, based on these reports, in due course.
Further reports of the committee deal with the service of court documents by post, the fees of professional witnesses and proof of previous convictions. Provision is being made in the Court's Bill, to which I have already referred, for the service of court documents by post. The remaining matters dealt with in these reports are being examined.
On a previous occasion in this House I referred to my intention to examine, as a matter of urgency, the present law as to the grant of bail. I am satisfied that the position is highly unsatisfactory. The present state of the law, which arises from a Supreme Court decision in a constitutional case, is that every accused person must be granted bail unless there is substantial evidence that he would be likely to abscond or evade justice. This has contributed to a situation in which a great many persons awaiting trial—some of them with previous criminal records — avail themselves of bail to commit other crimes similar to those with which they are charged. In the 12 months ended 30th September, 1968, some 214 persons granted bail by the courts committed while awaiting trial over 900 known fresh offences against property. This compares with 500 such offences by 150 persons in the preceding 12 months.
In the light of the continued deterioration in the situation I am convinced that the law should be changed to enable account to be taken in bail applications of the previous bad character of an accused and the views of responsible police officers that there is a likelihood of further criminal acts if the accused is on bail pending trial. As far as safeguarding the liberty of the individual is concerned, I would like to emphasise that what I propose is fully in accordance with the fundamental principles of penal law laid down in 1961 by the International Commission of Jurists. I might also mention that what I propose is in line with provisions in recent British legislation on the subject. I am, of course, aware that there are constitutional difficulties involved in the framing of the particular legislation required but I am confident that these difficulties can be overcome.
The Landlord and Tenant Commission, who have so far presented two reports dealing with specific issues, are now engaged on their main work, that is to say, a review of the whole law of landlord and tenant other than the Rent Restrictions Acts. This work will, I hope, lead ultimately to a single statute which will modernise and consolidate the statute law on the subject. I am sure that not only the legal profession but the public generally will be at one with me in looking forward to the day when we can set out in a single enactment a statement in modern terms of the whole statute law on the subject of landlord and tenant. The task which the commission have undertaken is an onerous one, but we can be confident that the resulting benefits will well repay the work involved.
In the meantime the Government have already approved of my proposals based on the commission's first report and a draft Bill has been prepared. I hope to bring my proposals based on the second report before the Government in the near future. The first of these reports deals with the renewal of occupational tenancies and calls for the amendment of parts of the 1931 Landlord and Tenant Act. The second deals with extensions of the rights of renewal and of outright purchase given by the Landlord and Tenant Acts from 1931 to 1967 to what may be called ground rent tenants. It deals inter alia with the renewal of sporting club tenancies and the rights of local authority tenants. I propose to amalgamate my proposals in the draft Bill on occupational tenancies with my proposals based on the second report and to bring one comprehensive measure before the Oireachtas. This will call for the repeal of all the Landlord and Tenant Acts from 1931 on, and for the re-enactment of the surviving portions of those Acts together with new provisions based on the commission's recommendations. The proposals which I hope shortly to put before the Government will represent a useful step on the road to the major achievement of a single landlord and tenant code.
The Rules Committees of the district court, circuit court and Superior Courts have been busy during the past year. The district court rules committee continues its major task in connection with a general revision of the existing district court rules and also, with my concurrence, made the District Court (Extradition Act, 1965) Rules, 1968 which set out the forms to be used in proceedings under the Extradition Act, 1965.
The Circuit Court Rules Committee are revising and consolidating the circuit court rules and I understand that they have made considerable progress with this task. In addition, they have prepared draft rules dealing with procedures under the Succession Act, 1965, the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act, 1963, and the Landlord and Tenant (Ground Rents) Act, 1967. The Superior Courts Rules Committee drafted two sets of rules dealing respectively with contentious and non-contentious probate business, which are necessary under the Succession Act, 1965. These drafts were examined and certain amendments which were suggested to the committee are being considered by them.
Once more I should like to take this opportunity to pay a tribute to the judges of the several courts who are voluntarily assisting the work of the Department of Justice in their personal, non-judicial capacities. Judges and justices are serving on the bankruptcy committee, the censorship of films appeal board, the censorship of publications board and its appeal board, the committee inquiring into court practice and procedure, the commission inquiring into the law relating to landlord and tenant, a committee which is making inquiries relating to reform of substantive law and the commission of inquiry into the pay and conditions of service of the Garda Síochána. Their services are greatly appreciated.
The Adoption Board made 1,343 orders in 1968, 150 less than in 1967, when the highest-ever number of adoption orders was made. The proportion of children placed by adoption societies was 78.5 per cent, slightly more than last year's 78 per cent. I should like to place on record my appreciation of the excellent work that is being done by the adoption societies, of which there are 21. Six hundred and ninety-nine of the orders made in 1967 were in respect of boys and six hundred and forty-four in respect of girls. The board continues to hold sittings outside Dublin so as to facilitate prospective adopters. Forty-nine of the total of 99 meetings held during the year were held in various centres outside Dublin.
There has been some increase in recent years in the number of aliens registered as being resident here for three months or more. The number so registered on 31st December, 1968 was 4,435, as against 4,075 on 31st December, 1967. The influx of visitors continues to increase at a rapid rate. Over 133,000 alien visitors came here in 1968 from places other than Britain or Northern Ireland as compared with 116,000 in 1967. Those figures do not include British subjects. The increasing number of foreign visitors coming here creates problems for the immigration service. These problems are, however, under constant review by my Department in consultation with the other Government Departments concerned.
In 1968, 59 persons were naturalised as compared with 57 in 1967. This brings to 2,676 the total number of all persons naturalised since 1935, when provision for naturalisation was made.
In 1968 the film censor examined 982 films with a total footage of 3,225,210. The number of films examined by the censor in 1967 was 983 and the footage examined in that year was 3,118,293. Of the total of 982 films which the censor examined in 1968, 890 were passed without cuts, 57 were passed with cuts and 35 were rejected. The censor issued 106 limited certificates; there were appeals in respect of five of these.
The Censorship of Films Appeal Board received appeals in respect of 38 films. Thirty-two of the appeals were against rejection by the censor, five appeals were against the censor's decision to grant limited certificates (with cuts in some cases) and one appeal was against cuts. Of the 32 films rejected by the censor which were the subject of appeals, ten were rejected by the appeal board, two were passed by the appeal board for general viewing without cuts, 18 were passed for limited viewing, 16 of them with cuts and two were still under consideration at the end of the year. In the case of the remaining six appeals, three were passed for general viewing, two were passed for limited viewing and one appeal was rejected. In all, 121 films were passed for viewing on "limited certificates", that is to say, conditions were inserted prohibiting their exhibition to audiences under a stated age—the particular age being specified in each "limited certificate".
The Censorship of Publications Board examined 290 books and 14 periodicals in 1968. Ten books were examined as a result of formal complaints from members of the public and 280 books were referred to the board by officers of customs and excise. The board made 87 prohibition orders in respect of books and ten in respect of periodicals. Appeals were lodged with the censorship of publications appeals board in respect of two books. Both were lodged by publishers, one for a revocation order, the other for a variation order. Under section 2 of the Censorship of Publications Act, 1967, a prohibition order imposed on the grounds that a book was indecent or obscene ceases to have effect after 12 years. By virtue of this provision, 4,519 prohibition orders on books have ceased to have effect. Of these, 4,184 ceased to have effect on the passing of the Act, 176 ceased to have effect on 31st December, 1967, and 169 ceased to have effect on 31st December, 1968.
Transfers of testamentary documents from the principal and district probate registries and from the courts were temporarily suspended in October, 1966, owing to building operations on the two-storey extension to the Public Record Office to provide additional accommodation for the Land Registry. The intake of these documents has now been resumed. They will be taken in in stages and it is expected that they will all have been taken in and sorted, et cetera by the autumn of 1971. Some testamentary and other miscellaneous documents have, however, been acquired in the meantime.
The Irish Manuscripts Commission is continuing its work on the preparation for the publication of the Calendar to the Council Book of 1581-1586, the list of political prisoners in Kilmainham Jail during the period 1789 to 1910, the two 16th century Munster surveys and the record commissioners' calendars of inquisitions for the 16th and 17th century convert rolls. The Commission has published a further volume in its edition of the Books of Survey and Distribution. The volume is that for County Clare.
The largest Estimate for which I am responsible, that for the Garda Síochána, amounts to £10,823,000, and shows an increase of £204,000. This increase is chiefly due to general pay and pensions increases, and also to rising costs of some of the various supplies and services connected with the functioning of the force.
In the largest subhead, that for pay, subhead A, the extra cost of the 9 per cent pay increase, known as the 11th round, granted as from 1 June, 1968, has to be provided for a full year, having applied for part-year only in the previous year. As well, there is an exceptional increase because, this year, the pay of the provincially-based members of the force comes to a 53-week year in the recurrent cycle. These two items account for an additional £220,000. Among the other subheads, services rendered by the post office, chiefly postal, account for an extra £66,000 and there are increases in the costs of heating and cleaning and of operating transport.
There is also a substantial increase caused by the continuing cumulative rise in the number of garda pensioners, and by a general pension increase awarded during the year. Allowing for certain offsetting items, the cost of pensions has gone up by £37,000. Against these increases, there is a decrease in the provision for locomotion and transfer expenses, for which provision for arrears payments had to be made in the previous year, and there will be increased receipts from the Road Fund in respect of road traffic services rendered by the gardaí.
Last year, I indicated that I was embarking on a review of the organisation and development of the Garda Síochána so that the distribution of the force may better reflect the up-to-date position of all localities in relation to their police needs. I am satisfied with the initial progress made so far and I am continuing to pursue it actively. It is clear to me that, in much of our peaceful countryside, the services of the force are not so urgently required as in the more populated areas where crime is more prevalent and traffic is heavy. The situation at the larger centres is that the present strength of gardaí is inadequate. This will have to be remedied either by large-scale redeployment or by a sizeable increase in the over-all strength of the force.
I have been strongly pressed by Deputies and have received many representations in cases where strength reductions or closing of stations have taken place, and I have given these careful consideration. While I may have been unable to yield to their requests, I can say that in every such case, where I have felt compelled to close a station, I have made sure that the area is effectively distributed among surrounding stations from which it can be as effectively policed. So far, 80 men have been made available for transfer to other centres. This, of course, falls far short of requirements; and the problem which I shall have to resolve is the extent to which largescale redeployment, involving the closing of small stations and the transfer of men from rural districts, is the best solution to the real problems of the gardaí in large centres of population.
A year or so ago, the first group of traffic wardens took up duty in Dublin, and later on a number were appointed in Cork. The present position is that a combined strength of 120 is operating in these cities. Their services have been welcomed generally and it is now recognised that they are making a balanced contribution to the car-parking problem. They have also released, for police duty proper, numbers of gardaí formerly assigned to parking duties.
I attach considerable importance to a scheme of training courses for garda officers which I have put in motion, in order to keep the force abreast of modern developments in this field. It will ensure that a sufficient number of trained officers is available to fill the highest posts in the force. Initially, groups of chief superintentants and of superintendents are attending general courses under the Institute of Public Administration in association with officers of the other public services. These general courses will be followed by specialised courses on police duties at an advanced level. I hope that training of this kind will be a permanent feature of the future.
In mentioning that, in the last year, eleven new stations and thirteen new official residences were constructed, in addition to numerous reconstruction and improvement works, I make no secret of my own personal wish to see greater progress in the provision of adequate official accommodation for the Garda Síochána. There have been, and still are, problems of scarcity of capital and of professional staff, but I should like to assure the House of my continuing concern.
I expect to receive within the next few months the report of the Conroy Commission on garda pay and conditions of service. I am aware that the commission have been hard at work and that their deliberations have ranged over a very extensive field. In the circumstances, it would not be proper for me to comment at this stage on many general questions affecting the welfare and responsibilities of members of the force.
I regret to say that in 1968 the crime figures increased again. In the year ended 30th September, 1968, 23,104 indictable offences were recorded as against 20,558 in the previous year. The next highest figures were in 1966 (19,029) and in 1964 (17,700). While the increase in crime gives me cause for concern, I should emphasise that the incidence of indictable crime in this country is still low by comparison with that in many other countries. It is a cause for satisfaction and it is worth noting that our detection rate still continues at a high level (61 per cent), which is above that achieved in any other country whose statistics we have studied.
In this connection I would remind the House that larcenies, generally, even where the value of the money or goods stolen is trivial, are indictable offences. The figures for indictable crime are invariably swollen by, for instance, larcenies of pedal bicycles, for which, incidentally, it is very difficult to get evidence against the culprits. In 1968 2,469 bicycles were reported as stolen and proceedings were instituted in 308 cases only. Persons convicted of indictable crimes last year numbered 9,364 and of this total 28 per cent were under 17 and 54 per cent under 21 years of age. The comparable figure for 1967 was 9,521, of whom 31 per cent were under 17 and 57 per cent under 21.
In the year ended 30th September, 1968, the number of persons charged with summary offences was 173,592 as compared with 164,068 in 1967, a steep rise which is in accordance with the trend of recent years. Road traffic offences continue to constitute by far the greatest category—some 126,000 persons were prosecuted for road traffic offences in 1968. Nearly 121,000 "fine-on-the-spot" notices were issued for contraventions of the parking bye-laws and similar offences and in just over 19,000 of those cases there were prosecutions.
A new system of reporting and recording road traffic accident information was introduced on 1st January, 1968. Up to then, the Garda Síochána in co-operation with the Central Statistics Office, had published statistics relating to road traffic accidents. The new system involves the close co-operation of the Garda Síochána, the Central Statistics Office and An Foras Forbartha. The publication of detailed statistics relating to these accidents, based on information recorded by the Garda Síochána and the Central Statistics Office, has now been taken over by An Foras Forbartha and, accordingly, I do not propose to make any further reference to them. The detailed statistics for 1968 have recently been published by An Foras. My colleague, the Minister for Local Government, will I am sure, give the House all relevant information on the subject.
The statutory arrangements for the backing of Irish warrants of arrest in Britain and Northern Ireland, and for the backing of British and Northern Ireland warrants here, continue to operate satisfactorily. In 1968, 117 warrants, 20 of them from Northern Ireland, were received for execution here, and 91 warrants were issued from here, nine of them to Northern Ireland. So far no warrants have been received from any of the other countries who are parties to the European Convention on Extradition nor have any warrants issued from this country to any of them.
The Estimate for prisons, at £521,000, shows a net increase of £50,000 over 1968-69. The main factor in the increase, apart from pay adjustments, is the rise in the estimated daily average number of prisoners from 580 to 615. The higher daily average reflects the increase in crime to which I have already referred. Indeed it may turn out that the actual average for the current year will be higher than estimated.
Last year I mentioned the opening in August, 1968, of a semi-open institution in Shanganagh, County Dublin for the accommodation of suitable first offenders and selected long-term inmates in the 16 to 21 age group who show promise of improvement and of responding to guidance. The institution is still in the experimental stage and much remains to be done but a good deal of progress has been made. The discipline is less rigid than in closed institutions. A housemastering system is now in operation there. Under this system each officer is made particularly responsible for a group of eight youths or so. The hope is that these conditions help to inculcate a sense of responsibility in the youths and where necessary to build up their confidence and self-respect and so reduce the feeling of social inadequacy which so many youths who find themselves in trouble suffer from. I expect that in the near future the workshop accommodation will be substantially increased and that the officers will have undergone a special course designed to improve their understanding of the problems of the youths coming into their custody.
During the year I introduced in Shanganagh a system of pre-discharge leave for well-behaved inmates serving long sentences. This leave is granted to selected youths where it appears that they will use the short period of leave to make contacts with employers, to renew home ties or to accustom themselves gradually to normal life. I am glad to report that so far the scheme has not been abused in a single case and that in many instances the inmates took the initiative in arranging for employment for themselves.
Another innovation at Shanganagh was to allow a small number of long-term inmates home to their families over the Easter period, again with beneficial effects. A further experiment, with the object of providing an incentive towards regular progress, was introduced recently. This is a system of grading of inmates, with the special grade receiving extra privileges, in the form of home visits. Promotion to the special grade depends on the inmate receiving a sufficient number of marks for conduct and application. It is too early to pass judgement on the grading system but I am hopeful that it will contribute to the rehabilitation of the young offenders transferred to Shanganagh.
I shall have more information about Shanganagh for the House when, as I expect, I shall be introducing legislation in the near future to put Shanganagh on a more formal basis.
As regards St. Patrick's Institution, the centre for the detention of youths between 16 and 21 years of age, the inadequacy of accommodation to which I referred last year still persists. Pending the acquisition of alternative accommodation — which is, I am afraid, a long-term project — some additional cell accommodation has been provided as a temporary expedient. The most urgent need, however, is for accommodation for extra workshops and accommodation to enable a revised educational programme to be introduced. The appointment of a psychologist to the prison service in the near future, as well as additional instruction staff, will result in the planning and carrying out of an educational programme geared to the individual needs and capacities of the inmates, many of whom are educationally retarded. The psychologist will also assist in other respects in the work of rehabilitation, for example, in helping to determine the job aptitudes of particular prisoners.
One of the less satisfactory features of St. Patrick's is the very wide age group — 16 to 21 years — of youths who can be sent there. Nowadays there is an enormous difference between an experienced offender of, say, 20 or 21 years of age and a youth of 16, even taking into account the fact that the youth of 16 has usually a previous criminal record. I fear that the association of these youths within a single institution may have harmful results for the youngest of them and I propose to reduce the upper age limit for committal to St. Patrick's from 21 to 19. Such a reduction would incidentally reduce the existing pressure on accommodation in the institution.
In the prisons, welfare work, introduced a few years ago, continues to operate satisfactorily. During 1968 employment was secured during sentence for 43 prisoners who were granted temporary release for this purpose. In most cases they were released initially during the day and returned to prison in the evenings and over week-ends. Their earnings amounted to a little over £2,000 of which about a third was sent to their dependants. Over £400 went on tools and other out-of-pocket expenses; £500 out of their earnings was spent on special meals and comforts in the prison hostel. The prisoners themselves had some £400 for themselves on discharge.
In St. Patrick's Institution 70 inmates were allowed temporary release to employment. Temporary release at Christmas, for family reasons and for interviews for employment was also allowed in both St. Patrick's and the prisons. Driving instruction was provided for 29 offenders in view of the importance of a driving qualification in obtaining employment. Seventeen of these passed the driving test during the year.
As a further help in promoting a regular exchange of views on the best methods of treatment of offenders I have set up a departmental working group comprising the governors of the prisons, St. Patrick's and Shanganagh and officials of my Department. The group will also have the task of submitting proposals for bringing the rules and regulations governing the prisons and the institutions up-to-date.
Now I turn to the probation and after-care service. I should like to say, first of all, that I expect that the most significant development in the treatment of offenders over the next few years will take place in this field. There is a general trend nowadays to rely more and more on non-custodial forms of treatment coupled with a growing disenchantment with institutional treatment as an aid to rehabilitation. For this reason I appointed an officer of my Department last January to investigate the probation and after-care service thoroughly. I have now received his report, which is a comprehensive one. I am not yet in a position to give decisions on the recommendations but I am confident that I will be able to bring about a substantial improvement in the service. I am satisfied that the service is inadequate at present, in spite of the exemplary efforts of the individual officers concerned. The hard fact is, of course, that any improvements cost money, that substantial improvements cost still more money and that unfortunately there is a limit to our resources.
I am very happy to be able to pay tribute to the voluntary efforts which have led to the formation of the group known as PACE — Prisoners Aid through Community Effort — which will provide and manage a "half-way" house for discharged prisoners who are homeless and who need support during the critical period after their release from prison. It is a most praiseworthy endeavour which fills a long-standing need. I congratulate those responsible and wish their efforts the success they deserve.
I should like also to pay tribute to the members of the statutory visiting committees, the recognised societies engaged in welfare work, the voluntary organisations and to the many private individuals and employers who have helped so much in the administration of the prisons in the past year.
The next Vote is that for the courts. At £678,000 it shows a net increase of £21,000 over the year 1968-69. The gross vote shows an increase of £24,100 which is accounted for by the 11th round salary increase, the creation of additional posts of provincial class VII district court clerk, the upgrading of a number of district court clerkships, normal increments and increase in subsistence allowance. This increase is partly offset by an increase of of £3,100 in appropriations-in-aid, due mainly to an increase in the yield from fines and fees.
Deputies may recall that during the debate in the House in June of last year on the Courts (Supplemental Provisions) (Amendment) Bill, 1968, I indicated that the Government had approved the making of arrangements for a general close-down of sittings of the district court during the month of August. I duly made an order which came into operation on 1st April, 1969, giving effect to this decision and also providing for a similar close-down for short periods at Easter and Christmas.
From the experience of the close-down at Easter and in August this year, I am satisfied that the new system operated smoothly and successfully, met the convenience of the general public and contributed to the efficiency of the district court. The special sittings, which were an essential feature of the close-down arrangements, enabled matters of an urgent nature to be dealt with by the court. I regard the introduction of vacation periods into the district court as a most valuable reform.
With the approval of the Government a widows' and orphans' pension scheme was introduced last year by the Minister for Finance for members of the judiciary and certain court officers.
Estimate No. 24 is that for the Land Registry of Deeds. The figure of £313,000 for the year 1969-70 represents a decrease of £4,000 as compared with 1968-69. The decrease is accounted for mainly by the replacement of senior by junior officers.
As I mentioned last year, the volume of business coming into the Land Registry had resumed its progressively upward trend. Business, in almost all the various categories handled by the registry, increased further in 1968. Dealings, for example, rose from 34,693 in 1967 to 40,514 in 1968.
In the case of the Registry of Deeds the number of registrations again increased in 1968, the number being 34,201 as compared with 29,466 in 1967. Applications for searches also continued to increase, the figure being 6,235, as compared with 5,465 in 1967.
There is no need for me to stress the importance of the service to the community provided by the Land Registry. Deputies will be well aware of its widespread ramifications in our economic activities. The figures I have just quoted will serve to show how necessary it is that the Land Registry should be organised to cope with what will, by all indications, be a continuing growth in the demands for its services.
I mentioned last year that, on my appointment as Minister for Justice, I decided to accord top priority to the improvement of the service which, as Deputies know, has not been satisfactory for some years. As I said then, I arranged for a critical examination of the organisation and procedures in the registry. This examination is being vigorously undertaken by a special study group which I set up for the purpose. The group has already submitted three reports containing recommendations, which I have accepted, and I am glad to say that considerable progress had been made towards the implementation of these recommendations.
The changes that are being made in the organisational structure of the office as a result of these recommendations are so fundamental and far-reaching that Deputies may be interested in a brief outline of them. The traditional organisational structure of the Land Registry has been based on a horizontal stratification of functions. In practice, this meant that groups of staff at different levels were dealing, more or less in isolation, with different facets of the work of the office. A study of the effects of this compartmentalisation of functions revealed a wasteful multiplication of handling actions and the absence of a sense of commitment and achievement, which resulted in inefficiency. It became evident that a structural reorganisation was necessary so as to effect a closer integration of functions. This is now being effected by the introduction of a system whereby, for example, a dealing is processed from beginning to end by a unified section of staff under a single senior officer. Each section will have responsibility for land in a particular area of the country. Two such sections have been established on a pilot basis and it is already clear that productivity has been significantly improved. This system will be extended throughout the registry as soon as the staffing structure can be adapted to the task.
As has been reported to the House on various occasions, one of the principal difficulties besetting the Land Registry is the recruitment and maintenance of adequate staff to deal with the ever-growing volume of business. The study group addressed themselves to this problem and have recommended a grading structure which, combined with inbuilt systems of professional training and advancement, is much better suited to the specialised nature of the Land Registry's functions. The recommended structure is designed to make a career in the Land Registry more attractive, thereby encouraging recruitment and preserving for the office its experienced staff. The details of the proposed staff reorganisation are at present being worked out. I am, of course, anxious that such a reorganisation of the staff structure should have the fullest regard to the interests of the serving staffs, and it is my intention, as soon as these proposals have been crystallised from the management point of view, to arrange for full discussions with the staff side before they are implemented.
One of the areas in which bottlenecks have been continually arising is the Mapping Branch of the Land Registry. On the recommendation of the study group, I made arrangements for secondment to the Land Registry of a highly experienced officer from the Ordnance Survey Office. This officer, who has taken temporary control of the branch, has already recommended some very worthwhile changes in the mapping procedures, which will serve to expedite the discharge of applications for copy maps and of dealings involving the services of the Mapping Branch. He is continuing to study the organisation of the branch in order to equip it to deal efficiently and expeditiously with the growing demands made upon it. Where, and to such extent as, his recommendations will affect the staff's interests, I will arrange, before they are implemented, to consult fully with the staff side concerned.
The study group is continuing to examine in depth the detailed procedures of the office. Indeed, it is my intention that these procedures will be kept constantly under review with a view to any improvements, changes or adaptations which the requirements of the Land Registry will dictate from time to time. An example of the matters which the group is examining, and which will be of particular interest to some Deputies, is the system of paying for the services rendered by the Land Registry. I have asked the group to recommend suitable arrangements for the introduction of a system of direct payment in cash in substitution for the existing system of payment by way of revenue stamps.
Deputies will see, from what I have said, that I am determined to mould the Land Registry into an organisation which will be capable of discharging efficiently and expeditiously the vital service which it is providing. The job is all the more urgent in the light of the initial introduction, on the 1st January, 1970, of compulsory registration of title into the counties of Carlow, Louth and Meath. I hope that it will be possible to extend compulsory registration to other areas without undue delay.
The final Vote makes provision for the Office of Charitable Donations and Bequests. The estimate for 1969-70 is £14,000, that is £100 more than the total provided for this service in 1968-69. The increase is accounted for by the transfer from the Stationery Office of provision for the purchase of publications.
The useful and valuable work of the commissioners continued during the year. Cash amounting to £127,330 and stocks to the value of £1,512 were transferred to the commissioners during the year 1968, and on 31st December last the nominal value of investments standing in their name was of the order of £2,154,000.
It remains for me once again to express my sincere thanks to the members of the various voluntary boards and commissions which are associated with my Department for their valuable services during the year. I am continually impressed by the extent of their unpaid public service and the manner in which the persons concerned carry out their duties.
