§ Dr. GodmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about the prior options review of the Registers of Scotland Executive Agency. [80169]
§ Mr. DewarA prior options review of the Registers of Scotland Executive Agency was carried out recently for my Department. The review concluded that there will continue to be a need for a function to maintain a register of title to land with the power to make independent decisions in cases of dispute, and recommended continuation of both Agency and Trading Fund status.
Extensive recommendations on issues such as governance and target setting were made to enhance the strategic management of the Agency and to improve its commercial approach.
I have accepted the recommendations on Agency status and on improvements to the coverage and stringency of the Agency's targets, which will be revised as soon as possible.
I have not, however, accepted the review's recommendation that decisions on the Agency's accommodation strategy should be brought forward. As recently as last November, I agreed that the Agency should maintain its presence in its existing, or similar, locations in Edinburgh and Glasgow until 2007. This option will have the least impact on the Agency's productive capacity at a time when it will be undertaking the major task of completing the extension of the Land Register to the whole of Scotland.
The recommendations on Trading Fund status, governance arrangements and the future strategic management of the Agency will be considered by Ministers of the Scottish Executive and the Scottish Parliament. Interim arrangements have been made to continue Trading Fund status until 31 March 2000.
From 1 July 1999 this will be a matter for the Scottish Parliament.