Land Registry

Michael Fallon Excerpts

Thursday 23rd January 2014 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Michael Fallon)]

The Department has today launched a consultation around proposals to help Land Registry deliver more efficient and modern services.

Land Registry is responsible for keeping and maintaining details of the ownership of land and property in England and Wales.

Government believe that changing Land Registry’s commercial model by separating policy and delivery of services between two entities could have a number of benefits and enable it to move more successfully into the digital age.

The proposal is to create a new company, still subject to Government oversight, which would be responsible for delivering land registration services. A separate Office of the Chief Land Registrar would be retained in Government to carry out regulatory and fee-setting functions.

This model could allow a greater focus on service delivery, greater operational flexibility around pay, recruitment and possibly provide other services and a more clearly defined relationship with Government.

Land Registry is currently moving into a new phase as it embarks on a new business strategy designed to deliver significant benefits for customers, including:

Making more land registration services available online, this should reduce processing times, risk of error and the costs of registration;

Delivering more efficient services, including creating a centralised access point for local land charge searches;

Maximising the reuse of property data for the benefit of the economy.

As Land Registry moves into this new phase, it is critical that the business has the right commercial model to best deliver these benefits to its customers and the wider economy.

No decision on ownership and control of this new service delivery company has been made, and several options are being considered. The Government will ensure that Land Registry customers and the integrity of the register will continue to be protected following the outcome of the consultation.

The consultation will close on 20 March 2014. I am placing a copy of the consultation in the Library of the House.