Michael Ring
Question:626 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will increase the staff numbers in the Land Registry Office dealing with the western counties, to try and cut back on some of the delays. [13808/02]
Written Answers. - Land Registry Office.
I am informed by the Registrar of Titles that additional staffing resources have been allocated to the western region recently. I am further informed that as a result of this the arrears of cases in hand was initially stabilised and is now starting to decrease. While the intake of applications has increased by 6% over the first five months of this year the output of dealings has increased by 20% and the output of copy folios with filed plan maps has increased by 74% over the same period. The Registrar of Titles expects that this trend will continue throughout the year and that the service the Land Registry provides to their customers in the western region will continue to improve.
I am further informed that the Land Registry has recently commenced a major programme under which all existing paper folios and filed plan maps will be imaged and available over the Internet by the end of 2004. The five counties of the western region will be the first to have the benefit of this programme. Imaging of Galway folios and filed plans has commenced and it is hoped that all of the western region will be completed before the end of the year. I am also informed that in the case of urgent applications the Land Registry will continue to prioritise these applications in order to facilitate their customers.