§ Mr. ToddTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the progress made in developing the National Land Information Service. [98746]
§ Jane KennedyI have been asked to reply.
Following a successful pilot of the National Land Information Service in Bristol, the project is now being prepared for full commercial exploitation. As a first step, the Local Government Information House, on behalf of HM Land Registry and the Improvement and Development Agency, is seeking a contractor to deliver services that will provide online access to Land Registry and local authority data. The Lord Chancellor launched the prospectus, calling for responses from organisations interested in supplying the new service, on 8 October 1999. Responses are now being evaluated and potential suppliers shortlisted.
This is a very exciting project that fully supports the "Modernising government" agenda. When implemented, it will facilitate faster and easier access to land information and make an important contribution to speeding up the house buying and selling process.