Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 7 Feb 2001

Vol. 530 No. 1

Written Answers. - Land Registry.

Pat Rabbitte

Question:

97 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the steps which are being taken to provide additional resources to deal with serious delays in the Land Registry office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3192/01]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. O'Donoghue)

As the Deputy will be aware, arising out of the current buoyancy in the economy the intake of applications in the Land Registry and the Registry of Deeds continues to grow at an unprecedented level with each successive year setting new record levels. The total intake of new cases for the year 2000 amounted to 161,844. This represents an increase of 29,485 over the 1999 intake.

In addition to the increase in property transactions, major infrastructural projects undertaken by the bodies responsible for systems and utilities, that is, Bord Gáis, ESB, Coillte, National Roads Authority, Bord na Móna etc., have also placed considerable strain on the registry's ability to provide essential services. In the circumstances, the staff in the Land Registry have worked very hard to give the best possible service to their customers.

The Deputy will be aware that, in order to address this problem, I received sanction from my colleague, the Minister for Finance, to increase the staffing complement of the Land Registry by 77. The resultant appointments are currently being made following a recruitment drive by the Civil Service Commission which is now beginning to pay dividends.

I can assure the Deputy that every effort is being made by the management and staff of the Land Registry to address the problems which have developed over a period of time, mainly due to the unprecedented increase in the levels of business. The Land Registry management are implementing some proactive measures to help deal with the situation. These include improvements to workflow, the training and development of staff, the use of new technology, the launch of an e-commerce service and the computerised data capture of folios and maps.

I am confident that, with the appointment of additional staff and the programme of measures being taken, the situation will improve shortly.