Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I take this opportunity to bring to the Minister's attention, as others have, a matter arising relating to the Land Registry. This is where a mistake has been made with what is registered with the Land Registry compared with what is contained in the deeds of the original contract for a home. If everybody complies, the process is quick, smooth, efficient and relatively painless, without much cost. I have an example where a neighbour is not inclined to co-operate, which forces a person who has done nothing wrong in buying a house into the possibility of going to court. It is not that person's mistake.

The mistake is with the Land Registry. That seems to be the only recourse. I have submitted parliamentary questions on this and made inquiries. In this scenario, the only people who will benefit from this are the lawyers, as the Minister will be aware. This is of no benefit to the homeowners or, indeed, the Land Registry or the process. It baffles me that they should have to go to court. Given what was under discussion, it was appropriate to bring that to the Minister's attention. This will end up costing a lot of money simply to rectify something in the event that people want to sell their homes and a big chunk of their driveway, essentially, on paper, according to the Land Registry, belongs to their neighbour, when it does not. They did not buy it.

I want to use this opportunity to put this on the Minister's agenda. It is an issue that requires attention because it cannot simply be the case that the only recourse people have is to the courts on a matter as important as the space taken up by their house, which they have paid for and should be entitled to enjoy the benefit of.

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