§ 3. Mr. Bellengerasked the Attorney-General what is the approximate average time taken in London in registration of title on sale of landed property.
§ The Solicitor-GeneralOn average, approximately eight weeks is taken to complete first registration of title and seven weeks to register dealings in land already registered.
§ Mr. BellengerCan the right hon. and learned Gentleman do nothing to speed up the Land Registry operations? Considerable inconvenience is caused now to solicitors and others owing to this long delay. As the area of compulsory registration will be extended, surely the time occupied in registration will also be extended unless the Department is speeded up?
§ The Solicitor-GeneralEvery effort is being made to reduce the delay by recruiting more staff and, I am afraid, by requiring them to work overtime. The trouble is that the work is so much increased that any slight increase in the buying habits of the public is necessarily reflected in the work of the Land Registry. We are doing the best we can.