13 / 736
Land Registry is provided for in a recent enact–
ment of the Oireachtas, namely, the Registration
of Title Act, 1964, which came into operation on
1st January of this year.
"The Central Office is the office for the regis–
tration of all land in the State. The functions of
the local offices are as prescribed by the Rules
made by the Registration of Title Rules Commit–
tee, with my concurrence. Each local office pro–
vides separate registers of freehold and leasehold
land registered
in
the particular county. The
Local Registrar transmits to and receives from
the Central Office documents connected with
registration. The local office
is a very valuable
facility for registered owners and their solicitors
in that they may inspect the registers of land in
their area and also lodge with the local office all
applications in connection with registration.
"I see no reason to alter a policy and practice
which have existed since the registration of title
system was first introduced in 1892.
Mr. P. O'Donnell asked the Minister for Justice
if he is aware that under the Land Registration
Fees (No. 2) Order, 1966, the fee for a search
made in the Land Registry by telegram or tele–
phone under Rule 196 of the Land Registration
Rules, 1966, has been increased from 2/6 to £1
10s., thus adding to the already heavy fees pay–
able under the Land Registry Acts; and, if so, if
he will have the said order amended to substan–
tially reduce the fee.
Mr. B. Lenihan :
"No increase in a Land Regis–
try search fee such as that alleged by the Deputy
has, in fact, occurred. The fee of £1 10s. referred
to is in respect of an official search, made on the
basis of an application by telegram or telephone,
that is
to say, an authorised and authoritative
search carried out by officials of the Land Registry
the result of which is confirmed in writing by the
Registry and the reliability of which is guaranteed
by the State. The fee for an unofficial or personal
search made by an applicant himself is 2/6, but at
no time in recent years has the fee for any official
search been as low as this figure.
"However, there is a long-standing and infor–
mal arrangement in the Central Office of the
Land Registry and in some, but not all, of the
local offices whereby solicitors are facilitated by
having their telephone inquiries treated as per–
sonal searches, for which the fee of 2/6 is charged.
In such cases no written confirmation of the result
of the search is sent by the Registry and, in the
event of error in such a search, no claim against
the Compensation Fund can be entertained. The
search is in no sense an official search the reli–
ability of which is guaranteed :
and the practice
in the Central Office, and in some of the local
offices, has no statutory authority to sustain it. I
am having the position in regard to these non-
official searches fully examined."
HOUSING AUTHORITIES (LOAN
CHARGES CONTRIBUTIONS AND
MANAGEMENT) REGULATIONS, 1967
(S.I. 71)
These
regulations
repeal
the Housing
(Loan
Charges Contributions) Regulations, 1932 to 1962,
and provide for the cost limits on which contri–
butions to loan charges may be made by the
Minister for Local Government under Section 44
of the Housing Act, 1966, including new limits
in respect of money borrowed by a housing auth–
ority for the provision of building sites and dwel–
lings in buildings of six or more storeys.
The regulations
lay down conditions as
to
building standards,
rents and
the disposal by
housing authorities of houses, building sites and
other land, subject to which the contributions
will be payable by the Minister. Section 46 of
the Housing Act, 1966, enables the Minister to
reduce, suspend or discontinue the payment of
these contributions where an authority fails to
observe these conditions.
The regulations also repeal the Housing (Man–
agement and Letting) Regulations,
1950
and
1953, with the exception of the provisions speci–
fying the priorities to be followed by housing-
authorities in the letting of houses. These priorities
will cease to apply to lettings by an authority on
the coming
into force of the authority's own
scheme of priorities under section 60 of the Hous–
ing Act, 1966. The regulations also incorporate
the conditions subject to which lettings of dwel–
lings may be made by housing authorities, in–
cluding a condition permitting an authority to
consent to sub-tenanting.
The fee to accompany an appeal to the Minister
under Section 106 of the Act, dealing with the
structural condition of dwellings on their sale or
lease by a housing authority, and the form of
transfer order for the sale or lease of dwellings
under Section 90 of the Act are also prescribed.
LONG TAX PROSECUTIONS
The Court of Appeal when it dismissed appeals
by four men and two companies trading in tran–
sistor radio sets against convictions on charges
involving conspiracy to evade purchase tax and