Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 83: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he is satisfied that adequate staff and resources have been provided to the Land Registry Office; if his attention has been drawn to the delays in relation to the registration of transfers of parts of folios and section 49 application for first registration; the position in relation to same; and if he will confirm that the necessary resources will be provided to ensure that such delays will be eliminated. [32556/06]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I am pleased to be able to inform the Deputy that the Land Registry has responded successfully to the continued growth in applications arising from a very active property market. Staffing levels are kept under ongoing review, having regard to overall Government policy on public service numbers, but significant productivity improvements have also been realised, reflecting the Registry's business modernisation programme as well as considerable investment by the Government in the provision of new technology for this service. In the case of the vast majority of services provided by the Land Registry, no delays are encountered. Looking to the future, a major programme of further investment is underway which will replace existing paper based maps with a digital mapping system and which will further enhance the organisation's capacity to respond to the considerable demands being made on it.

In so far as applications for first registration based upon adverse possession and applications under Section 49 are concerned, it should be noted that these are governed by a detailed and often complex area of land law and the circumstances of each case dictate the nature and the processing time of each individual application. Such applications may, of necessity, take a long time to process.

As the Deputy may also be aware, I have recently signed an order establishing the Property Registration Authority which will come into effect from 4 November. The main functions of the new Authority will be to manage and control the Registry of Deeds and the Land Registry and to promote and extend the registration of ownership of land. The new Authority will build on the modernisation programme already underway within the Land Registry, with a view to the further development of an efficient and high quality service for its customers.