Kevin Humphreys
Question:489. Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he has any plans to develop an up to date cadastre of all land here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36009/13]
View answerThursday, 18 July 2013
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A cadastre is a public record, survey, or map of the value, extent and ownership of land. A cadastral map is a map that shows the boundaries and ownership of the individual land parcels.
We do not operate a cadastre in Ireland at present and no individual State organisation holds all of the relevant data. However, the data which could potentially form elements of a cadastre is established through the functions of different State Agencies, including the Property Registration Authority, the Valuation Office and Ordnance Survey Ireland.
Our system of Land Registration, which was established in 1892 and is now under the control of the Property Registration Authority is based on an "open" register underpinned by a State guarantee and was designed to gradually replace a registration of deeds system which had been in place since 1707. Since its introduction, the programme of land registration in Ireland has been both extensive and very successful and almost 2.8 million land parcels, representing approximately 95% of all property in the country, are now registered in the Land Registry of the Property Registration Authority.
When title or ownership is registered in the Land Registry, the legal ownership is entered on folios which form the registers maintained in the Land Registry. In conjunction with folios, the Land Registry also maintains Land Registry maps. Where title is registered in the Land Registry it is referred to as "registered property" and is open to public inspection.
As the Deputy is aware, the radical streamlining of State bodies is a key deliverable of the Public Service Reform Plan, published in November 2011. As part of the implementation of the Reform Plan, the Government announced on 31 October 2012 that it would proceed with the merger of the Property Registration Authority with the Valuation Office and Ordnance Survey Ireland. Work is underway to advance the implementation of the merger under the supervision of a Project Board comprised of senior officials from the three Government Departments concerned and the Chief Executive Officers of the three Agencies. Among the issues to be examined in the context of the merger are the strategic goals and priorities of the prospective merged organisation. It is anticipated that it will be possible to derive significant added value from the bringing together of the rich data holdings of the three organisations concerned. It is possible that the development of a cadastre system for Ireland may be considered in that context. I should note that full implementation of the merger will require significant legislative change in due course, and that any move to a cadastre system could potentially have very significant implications in relation to land and property law in Ireland.