Mr. Mark Garrett:

Again, we are very happy to work with anybody. What we are trying to achieve here is a better system. The frustrations that our solicitors have on behalf of their clients, are significant. There is constant highlighting of where the delays and frustrations are in that regard. A huge amount of reform is required. If we want to do so, root and branch, that will be a significant piece of work and we are very happy to be involved in that. We encourage anybody to do as much preparation as possible in advance of sales, because that will help the process. There is no doubt about it. Engaging with professionals, with IPAV members, Law Society members and others well in advance of sales, will solve problems. We have no doubt about that.

There is a need to ensure that we do not have unintended consequences, because some of the issues we are clarifying will potentially cause problems down the line. There will be additional costs, as drafted, and we are happy to engage and look at some of these areas as well. The frustrations that have come back in respect of delays, for weeks and months, relate to the 15 parties that we look at across the conveyancing process. We have a system that has been developed over decades and centuries, which is absolutely out of date and antiquated. It has huge costs for everybody involved, far beyond what there should be. I do not know anybody who has been involved in this process who is not frustrated by it. This is a key element of what we are looking to achieve here.

We have highlighted a number of other areas which we feel-----