These two offices are under the same chief officer, the Registrar of Titles. The Estimate amounts to £49,659, showing a net decrease of £633 in the sum asked for last year. The decrease in the Land Registry is £540, the balance being in respect of the Registry of Deeds. Last year a special sum of £500 was voted for the Land Registry to cover special conditions, such as overtime. This year only £200 is asked for under this head. This partly accounts for the reduction. A special scheme for the reorganisation of the staffing of the Land Registry has recently been approved of by the Department of Finance and put into operation, and as a result of arrangements recently made certain arrears which had accrued in the Registry are now being rapidly cleared off, and the work, it is anticipated, will be brought up to date within a short period. A similar remark applies to the Registry of Deeds, where arrangements have also been made which, it is hoped, will enable the registers and indices to be brought up to date within a few months. A claim for special pay for searchers in the Registry of Deeds has been met by giving an allowance of £30 per annum for searchers over and above their normal salary as clerical officers.
