Mr. Patrick Davitt:

I thank the Chairman, Deputies and Senators for their invitation here today to present our findings on our recent research into the current conveyancing process in Ireland. I am Pat Davitt, the chief executive of the Institute of Professional Auctioneers & Valuers, IPAV, and I am here with our National President, Mr. Keith Anderson, who is also a practising auctioneer.

Our institute is the representative body for almost 1,000 auctioneers throughout the country. It was set up in 1971 and it is the only institute catering solely for the professional and educational requirements of auctioneers and valuers throughout Ireland. IPAV places a strong focus on professional education and runs a series of higher level courses in collaboration with the Institute of Technology, Tallaght, which is approved by the National Property Services Regulatory Authority for auctioneering licence purposes. We also provide opportunities for auctioneers to develop their studies to degree level 7 and 8 in the College of Estate Management, Reading, in the United Kingdom.

The institute works with Government Departments and other arms of the State in advancing issues of policy relevant to the auctioneering profession. We have actively promoted throughout the years the European Valuation Standards, blue book, believing them to be the highest quality standards. They have now been accepted by the European Central Bank as its favoured valuation standards throughout Europe.

Given our reach into every town in Ireland our members form a central part of the local business community serving those buying and selling properties locally and also further afield.

The background to the research which the committee has kindly invited us to share with it today came about as a result of concerns expressed by our members about the growing length of time the conveyancing process was taking in Ireland. We surveyed members in January 2015 and more than 200 members responded to a series of ten questions. I believe all members of the committee have a copy of the study and no doubt they will have of questions for us. Therefore at this juncture I will not go through it line by line. Rather, IPAV President, Mr. Keith Anderson, who has played a lead role in the research, will take members through some of the highlights.