As a preliminary matter I must point out that in accordance with normal procedures the annual report in question has not been published and I can only conclude that it has come into the Deputy's possession improperly. As I indicated to this House in the course of the debate on the Private Members' motion on 14 November last, I am concerned at the level of delays in the service being provided by the Land Registry and Registry of Deeds. These delays are due mainly to an increase in the intake of work and a shortage of staff. Indeed, there has been an increase of 18.7 per cent in 1989 over 1988 in applications which comprise the bulk of Land Registry work.
Shortly after taking up office I initiated a general review of the operations of the registries and while I have not completed my review I have taken some steps to alleviate the situation. I have obtained sanction for an additional 35 staff for the Land Registry in 1990. Eleven of these have already been recruited and taken up duty. Every effort is being made to have the remaining staff recruited as quickly as possible. As a short term measure, some senior staff have been diverted from other work to help deal with the kind of cases where the worst delays are occurring.
I have also made arrangements for the filling of the post of Registrar of Deeds and Titles and I have obtained agreement from the Minister for Finance for the appointment of a number of staff at senior level.
In addition, I have provided for an increase in computerisation expenditure of the order of 32 per cent over 1989. A programme of computerisation of the abstracts in the Registry of Deeds will start early this year and the computerisation programme in the Land Registry, which is already well under way, will be extended further.
The measures I have outlined are the initial steps which I have taken in tackling the problem of delays in the Land Registry and Registry of Deeds. I am continuing to review the operations of the registries and I will take whatever steps are necessary to resolve the problems there.