§ Mr. W. J. Brownasked the Attorney-General if he is aware of the serious delay in His Majesty's Land Registry both in the registration of title branch and the land charges branch; and if any plans are being made to remedy this or to cope with the inevitable increase of the Department's work immediately after the end of the war with Germany.
§ The Attorney-GeneralI am aware of the present delay in the registration of title branch of the Land Registry. It is entirely due to staffing difficulties, and I do not think that it could have been avoided. At the outbreak of war dealings in land fell off considerably and the staff of the Registry was greatly depleted by calls of National Service of various kinds. Recently there has been a marked revival in the work, and it has not been possible to increase the staff quickly enough to keep pace. I cannot promise an immediate improvement, but it is hoped that sufficient staff will be available to deal with the further increase of work which is expected after the end of the war with Germany. I am informed that at present there is no delay in the land charges branch of the Registry.