Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of delays in registering transfers of land ownership by HM Land Registry on the ability of local planning authorities to identify landowners and serve planning enforcement notices; and what steps she is taking to mitigate that impact.

The vast majority of searches for land ownership through HM Land Registry (HMLR) are automated with results available instantly. Where ownership has recently changed but has not yet been formally updated on the Land Register, the official copy will reveal that a change of ownership has occurred. As such, the impact of delays in registering transfers of land ownership should be negligible.