I move:—
Go ndeontar suim ná raghaidh thar £32,401 chun slánuithe na suime is gá chun íoctha an Mhuirir a thiocfidh chun bheith iníoctha i rith na bliana dar críoch an 31adh lá de Mhárta, 1930, chun Tuarastail agus Costaisí Oifig Chlárathachta na Talmhan agus Oifig Chlárathachta na na nDintiúirí.
That a sum not exceeding £32,401 be granted to complete the sum necessary to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1930, for the Salaries and Expenses of the Land Registry and of the Registry of Deeds.
These two offices, the Land Registry and the Registry of Deeds, are under the same chief officer, the Registrar of Titles. The Estimates for both offices were, until recently, included in the Estimate for the Supreme Court of Justice to which they were nominally attached, an arrangement which made it necessary for the enquirer to go through several tedious processes of addition, subtraction, and division before he could say how much the Supreme Court itself cost, and how much was attributable to the other two offices. The figures are now shown separately. There is little in the details of this Estimate which, I think, will cause any discussion, but perhaps Deputies would like to know something about the Registry of Deeds office. It is an old office which was founded in the year 1708. It keeps an index of all deeds that are registered—all deeds, conveyances, and wills which are made dealing with manors, lands, tenements, or hereditaments.
On the other hand, the local registration of titles office is almost entirely dealing with land purchased under the Land Acts. In that case the registration is compulsory. In other cases persons can register their lands voluntarily as they like. There are two offices under the local registration of titles. There is the central and there is also the district office in the districts. In all cases, I think, except three, it is the county registrar who looks after the work. We are considering whether we might not amalgamate, or possibly do away with the local registries altogether. There is a good deal to be said on both sides, and the matter is receiving consideration, but we have not arrived at the final determination yet.
