asked the Minister for Justice when he expects the necessary buildings and staff to be made available to the Land Registry so that dealings can be completed within a reasonable time of lodgment.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Land Registry.
54.
As indicated in reply to a question on 1st December last, delays in the Land Registry are mainly due to the inability to recruit and retain the necessary technical and clerical staff.
The over-all position continues to be difficult. A recent competition for posts as legal assistant failed to attract a sufficient number of qualified candidates, and I am at present considering what can be done to secure adequate legal staff.
I expect that a sufficient number of clerical officers will be assigned to the Land Registry within the next month or so. Because of complications arising from a review of salary scales, it is unlikely that vacancies for draughtsmen will be filled for some months.
All possible steps, including the working of overtime by legal clerical and technical staffs, are being taken to reduce delays to a minimum.
While the existing accommodation is not regarded as ideal for present requirements, it does not contribute in any significant degree to delays in the discharge of current business of the Land Registry. Arrangements to erect a two-storey extension over the Public Record Office building to provide additional accommodation for the Land Registry have been brought to an advanced stage and I am informed that the Office of Public Works hope to place the contract within the next month or two.
Is the Minister aware that one of the complaints the staff there have is that they have been refused the ordinary annual increments to which they are entitled? That is one of the reasons why there is a fairly rapid turnover of staff there. Would the Minister investigate that aspect and also the fact that the extra work necessarily arising out of additional requisitions in respect of the terms of the Land Act has involved considerable extra duties on the staff in relation to title questions?
To overcome some of the difficulties mentioned by the Deputy we have decided to recruit legal assistants there on a temporary basis. That should get over the bottleneck. In regard to the matter of the increments, I was not aware of that and I will certainly have it investigated.