§ Sir L. WARDasked the Attorney-General whether he will cause to be made more widely known the advantages of voluntary registration of property at His Majesty's Land Registry; and will he consider the appointment of additional staff so that the Registry may be enabled to invite, and give effect to, an increase of voluntary registration?
§ The ATTORNEY-GENERALAs was intimated in the reply which the Solicitor-General gave to the hon. Member for Macclesfield (Mr. Berner) on 3rd February last, the Lord Chancellor looks for the success of land registration rather to a gradual increase in the number of 49W compulsory areas than to a general extension of voluntary registration. For this and other reasons he is not prepared to adopt the suggestion contained in the first part of the question. As regards the second part, the staff of the Land Registry is sufficient to deal with any applications for voluntary registration presenting themselves as well as with the other work of the Department. If it should prove insufficient, it would be increased.