Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

This is a proposal to prevent people from purporting to convey feudal baronies and manorial lordships, a class of incorporeal hereditament under the present law. The group that devised the Bill examined this issue and came to the conclusion that, whatever of their origin in the feudal era, titles of honour had evolved over the centuries into personal rights now rather than interests in the land and should not, therefore, be dealt with in the Bill. I tend to agree with their view that, since titles do not amount to an interest in land, this Bill is not the appropriate legislation in which to address the matter.