Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

It is a long learning period. The Minister's own learned introduction of the Bill was fascinating. The average citizen, however, wants to know what the changes mean for him. Will conveyancing cost him less? I know that learned counsel, even those on leave of absence from the Law Library, do not like discussing fees but the interests of the average citizen are far more practical. The academic and sociological history may well be fascinating but what does it mean for me? The Minister seems happy enough to promote the macroeconomic benefits when he says an efficient system of title registration and transfer is essential for economic growth — and so say all of us — but there is not a word of what savings are likely to accrue to the individual purchaser, consumer and user.

The background to how approximately 85% of land in the State came to be registered in the Land Registry is the story of the agrarian revolution and how peasant proprietorship superseded Michael Davitt's original objectives. I did not know that compulsory registration of title applies, at present, in only six counties, namely Carlow, Laois and Meath from 1970 and Longford, Roscommon and Westmeath since 2006. The extension of compulsory registration of title seems a huge challenge for the property registration authority and if the Minister is correct that an efficient e-conveyancing system can only operate in respect of registered land then we have a very long way to go. Apparently, if and when this project is realised the Registry of Deeds, after 300 years, will become of interest only to historians and archivists. If we have waited since 1877——

See this speech in context