andMr. Cronin asked the Minister for Justice if he is aware of the considerable expense and inconvenience caused to county council house loan applicants by the delay in the clearance of site titles in the Land Registry office; and the action he proposes to take in the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Clearance of Site Titles.
6.
For various reasons, including a continuing increase in the volume of business, there have for several years been substantial arrears of work in the Land Registry which have resulted in considerable delays in registration of title.
Many remedial measures, including the reorganisation of both the legal/ clerical structure and the mapping branch, have been taken in recent years in order to provide a more efficient service. As a result of these measures, the arrears of work were reduced by 12 per cent in 1973 and by a further 9 per cent in the first five months of this year.
While this is a significant improvement I am extremely concerned about the hardship which is being caused by the delays which still exist and I have initiated other measures designed to accelerate the rate of the reduction of the arrears. I am hopeful that before the end of this year the service being provided by the Land Registry will be substantially more speedy than it is at present.
Can the Minister improve this position 100 per cent because it needs that? People who want loans find it difficult to get title. Some Members have occasion to contact the Land Registry office weekly. I should like an assurance from the Minister that the position will be improved. An improvement of 12 per cent is no use if the Minister is thinking of speeding up the operations in relation to the issuing of register of title. It is one of the most serious things in the country, particularly in relation to loans.
I agree with the Deputy that it is a serious matter and it causes a lot of hardship particularly to people who are on bridging loans awaiting the completion of registration of title. I have conveyed my concern with a view to having improvements brought in as quickly as possible. I am hopeful that by the end of this year things will have speeded up considerably. Quite substantial reorganisations have taken place. They were insufficient to improve the position materially and further reorganisations are now in train.
And by that time there will be no loans.
Is the Minister satisfied that there are sufficient qualified personnel to deal with the volume of business in the Land Registry?
I am satisfied that the numbers of personnel available are adequate. The main difficulty in the Land Registry is in relation to the mapping section.
Are there enough staff there?
There is no shortage of staff in the mapping section. The number in the mapping section was increased substantially and it is being reviewed at the moment. If it is found necessary to further increase it this will be done.
Arising further——
I want to make some progress, Deputy MacSharry.
This is only the third supplementary.
The Chair will decide these matters without prompting.
Would the Minister not consider this as a matter of extreme urgency in view of the fact that most people purchasing houses have the cost of their houses increased by anything from £300 to £500 as a result of delays in the Land Registry?
I am fully aware of the urgency and, as I have already said, I have conveyed the sense of urgency about this problem to the people concerned but the volume of applications is mounting all the time. For example, it went from 52,000 applications in 1972 to 58,200 in 1973. To keep up with the increase in current applications is in itself a big task apart from the question of tackling the arrears but steps are being taken to make sure that the arrears will be eliminated and that current applications will be dealt with speedily.