Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This group of amendments relates to the information to be collected and made available by Tailte Éireann under a new section 8. I understand the intention of these amendments is that Tailte Éireann would commission a report to explore the feasibility of expanding the register to include an additional set of land and non-residential property information. I very much appreciate the objective of the Deputies' amendments, but there are several reasons I wish to put forward for my disposition not to accept them.

The intention of the Bill is to bring about the merger of Property Registration Authority, Ordnance Survey Ireland and the Valuation Office, which includes the transfer of the current functions of these bodies, into Tailte Éireann. It is not envisaged that the current functions of the existing bodies will be expanded during the merger process. Under section 23(6) of the legislation, "Tailte Éireann may, from time to time, prepare and submit to the Minister such other reports in relation to its activities as it considers appropriate". In addition, under section 23(7), "the Minister may give a direction, in writing, to Tailte Éireann to prepare and submit to him or her a report, in writing, not later than such date as the Minister specifies in the direction, in relation to any particular matter relating to the functions of Tailte Éireann as the Minister considers appropriate". It would not be appropriate, therefore, to separately legislate for specific reports as is envisaged by the proposed amendment.

On the data currently available on residential property sales prices, the Property Registration Authority maintains, and Tailte Éireann will take on this task on its establishment, the national land register, which is electronic, publicly accessible and searchable by anyone online at www.landdirect.ie. A considerable volume of information is available in that database. Search results give a description of the property, the date of registration, details of the owner and any burdens relating to the property, such as a mortgage or a right of way. Associated spatial data are also available. Under current land registration legislation and rules, however, the national land register does not record property prices. The property price register, maintained by the PSRA currently under the remit of the Department of Justice, holds information on residential properties by description only and includes the price and date of sale. There is no associated spatial aspect.

Furthermore, under Housing for All, the Government’s housing plan to 2030, the Department is committed to evidenced-based policy development and will continue to improve data availability and analysis. This includes working with the local government sector to ensure planning and housing data are captured in a nationally-consistent structure to enable monitoring of national housing development and construction.

The Department is currently working with Ordnance Survey Ireland to develop a national zoned housing land register based on local authority development plans, including the potential housing yield-capacity, which can also form the basis for the associated calculation of land use values required for the land value sharing measures also currently being developed under action 12.1 of the Housing for All policy.Provision is made in the Registration of Deeds and Titles Act 2006 for the maintenance of a register of deeds and the information to be contained within it.