§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the statutory requirement is for provision of public access to local authority information as found on the forms(a) CON 29, Inquiries of Local Authorities and (b) LLC1, Requisition and Certificate of Search. [57706]
§ Mr. WillsSome of the information contained in answers to questions in CON 29 is available from public records that are held by local authorities. Local authorities are under a statutory duty to allow public inspection, free of charge, to these records. In the case of the planning register, for example, sections 69, 188 and 214 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 require local authorities to make the register available for inspection by the public "at all reasonable hours". The statutory requirement for the provisions of public access to the register of local land charges is set out in the Local Land Charges Act 1975 and the Local Land Charges Rules 1977 (SI 1977 No. 985).
§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what guidelines he has issued to local authorities with regard to charging for searches based on the forms(a) CON 29, Inquiries of Local Authorities and (b) LLC1, Requisition and Certificate of Search. [57704]
§ Mr. WillsThe Local Authorities (Charges for Land Searches) Regulations 1994 (SI 1994 No. 1885) give local authorities the power to charge for CON 29 inquiries. The regulations provide that these charges are at the local authority's discretion "but should have regard to its costs in dealing with inquiries". Fees for searches of a local charges register are prescribed by the Local Land Charges Rules 1977 (SI 1977 No. 985).
§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to amend(a) the forms (i) CON 29, Inquiries of Local Authorities and (ii) LLC1, Requisition and Certificate of Search and (b) the regulations and guidelines associated with them; and if he will make a statement. [57707]
§ Mr. WillsCON 29 is not a statutory form. The Local Government Association and The Law Society have recently revised CON 29. The new version will be brought into use on 1 July 2002. I have lodged a copy of the draft of the revised form in the Library of the House of Commons.
288W Form LLC 1 'Register of Local Land Charges Requisition for Search and Official Certificate of Search' is a prescribed form (see Local Land Charges Rules 1977 (SI 1977 No. 985)). The Government have no plans to amend it or the regulations relating to it.
§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the required contents are of forms(a) CON 29, Inquiries of Local Authorities and (b) LLCI, Requisition and Certificate of Search; and what their status is. [57703]
§ Mr. WillsCON 29 is not a statutory form and is not subject to any statutory requirements as to content. The contents are agreed between local authorities and The Law Society. I have lodged a copy of the current form CON 29 in the Library of the House of Commons. The contents of form LLCI (Register of Local Land Charges, Requisition for Search and Official Certificate of Search) are prescribed by the Local Land Charges Rules 1977 (SI 1977 No. 985).