HC Deb 20 February 1992 vol 204 cc225-6W
Mr. Gareth Wardell

To ask the Attorney-General if he will publish the number of applications for registration of title for land currently being dealt with by the Swansea district land registry; and if he will separately distinguish the number of those applications that have already been at the district registry in Swansea for(a) up to three months, (b) between three and six months, (c) between six and nine months, (d) between nine months and one year, (e) between one year and 15 months and (f) over 15 months.

The Attorney-General

The Swansea district land registry processes more than 58,600 applications a quarter for registration of title and currently it is holding 47,879 applications of which more than 15,000 are awaiting the results of surveys or replies to correspondence raised by the registry with applicants.

The numbers within the categories of the question are as follows:

  1. (a) Up to three months, 25,287.
  2. (b) Between three and six months: 9,446
  3. (c) Between six and nine months: 4,461.
  4. (d) Between nine months and one year: 2,507.
  5. (d) Between one year and 15 months: 1,638.
  6. (f) Over 15 months: 4,540.

Mr. Gareth Wardell

To ask the Attorney-General if he wil abolish the facility to pay an extra charge for faster registration of title to land at district land registry offices.

The Attorney-General

No. The facility referred to is a very long-standing element of the Land Registry's service to applicants. In the great majority of cases application for the registration of dealings in land are completed under the normal arrangements well before the applicant resells or otherwise deals with the land again. However, the special expedition service is needed to allow applications to be expedited in a relatively small number of cases of urgency, where the normal registration process might otherwise give rise to unacceptable delays in the conveyancing process. The fee for the special expedition service, currently a minimum of £35, is described by the Land Registration Fees Order 1991 and is required to offset the additional cost to the Land Registry of providing the service.