§ Mr. Pageasked the Attorney-General what action he proposes to take upon the Report of the Committee on Land Charges, Command Paper No. 9825.
§ The Attorney-GeneralI cannot yet say what action the Government will take upon this Report, which is still receiving consideration.
§ Mr. Pageasked the Attorney-General whether, while retaining the existing Land Charges Register for charges already registered there against persons' names, he will initiate legislation providing for all such charges which arise in future to be registered in the respective local land charges registers against the affected 25W property, if it is unregistered land, and for all registrable charges, whether local or otherwise, which affect registered land, to be registered against the title to that land at Her Majesty's Land Registry.
§ The Attorney-GeneralThis proposal would not improve the present system of registration. Where the title to land is not registered, it would continue in any event to be necessary for purchasers to search against names in the central Land Charges Register because such matters as bankruptcy petitions and receiving orders cannot be registered against land unless it is known what land the debtor has. Moreover, if local land charges affecting registered land had to be registered against the title, much additional work would be entailed in the many cases where a charge extends to both registered and unregistered land.
§ Mr. Pageasked the Attorney-General if he will initiate legislation to oblige local authorities to register as local land charges all their resolutions or proposals affecting the use or value of land or buildings within their respective areas.
§ The Attorney-GeneralNo. The Stainton Committee on Local Land Charges advised that many matters of this kind were unsuitable for registration and should continue to be elicited from local authorities by question and answer. I am aware that the Committee recommended that certain matters, such as a resolution to make a compulsory purchase order, should be registrable as local land charges, but I cannot hold out any prospect of legislation on this subject at present.