This is a very technical type of Bill, so I thought it best to circulate an explanatory memorandum. The reason for bringing in the Bill is that the Registrar of Titles was in his 70th year, and no provision had been made to fill the position. It was filled in the past by the Land Judge of the old High Court. There is no Land Judge now, and it was decided that the Government should make the appointment, as it does in other cases of that kind. However, there was no authority to do that, and that was the principal reason for the introduction of the Bill. It is also desired to regularise the position in three counties—Monaghan, Waterford and Laoighis. A committee had been set up under the Courts of Justice Act, 1936, whose duty it was to make the rules that should govern procedure. They examined the working of the 1891 Act and made a series of recommendations which they were satisfied would be for the better working of that Act. As I had to bring in this Bill to deal with the filling of the position of Registrar, and as I had got the recommendations from the committee, I thought it was only right that I should incorporate the recommendations in the Bill.
When I brought the Bill before the Dáil, there was a number of amendments, which we discussed on the Committee Stage, and I undertook to have them submitted to this committee. The committee was composed of a Judge of the High Court, a representative of the Bar, a representative of the Incorporated Law Society, and the Registrar of Titles. They made recommendations and also advised me on the amendments which had been put down. As a result, we have an amended Bill now before this House. It is very involved, and is more a Committee Stage Bill than anything else, so I have circulated a memorandum which gives a pretty fair idea of the provisions of the Bill.