asked the Minister for Justice if he will provide extra legal staff to deal with the long delay in dealing with the registration of first titles in the Land Registry; and if he is aware that registration of such titles at present takes two years.
Written Answers. - Land Registry.
464.
, Limerick East): The embargo on the creation and filling of public service posts applied to the Land Registry.
I am aware that the processing of applications for first registration, including the establishment of title by possession, in the Land Registry takes 12 months and more. However, the number of applications in this category constitutes only about 5 per cent of the total number of applications for registration lodged annually in the Registry. Those applications involve detailed and complex examination of title and often protracted correspondence with solicitors as well as the issue of statutory notices to interested parties, which usually gives rise to further correspondence.
Because in many cases delays are caused by incompleteness in the submission of applications to the Land Registry, the Law Society propose to hold a series of seminars for solicitors, which will be attended by Land Registry officials, with the aim of eliminating or at least reducing time-consuming correspondence. The first of those seminars are being held on 26, 27 and 28 October 1983.