Ladies and gentlemen, I am very pleased to be here today to celebrate the signing of the contract for the Land Registry's Digital Mapping project. This is an important milestone marking the completion of a great deal of preparatory work as well as the commencement of implementation of this stage of the project itself.
While we all appreciate the considerable contribution the land registration process has made to the economic and social fabric of Irish life over the years, I think it is fair to say that many aspects of that process are poorly understood by the general public. However, the work of the Registries is a key element in the economic success of modern Ireland and I consider it essential that people can do their business with the Registries in an efficient, convenient and timely manner.
Today's project is the final and key step in a series of projects initiated by the Registrar and her team which are designed to improve customer service through decreased reliance on paper records, improved turnaround times and increased on-line access. Others here are far better placed to explain what has already been achieved but what struck me in particular is the enormity of the task of converting literally millions of paper records into an electronic format. This has been an enormous exercise and particular credit is due to all those involved in ensuring that the document imaging stage of this project was completed on schedule in August of last year.
Access to this data is equally important, however. In this regard I am impressed by the work undertaken to deliver the Land Registry's Electronic Access Service in recent years. It is worth noting that this was the first e-Government project to go live in the Irish civil service and that its facilities have in a very practical way transformed the manner in which professionals, acting on behalf of their clients, can access the registry and its services.
Today's event is about the next stage of this evolving and integrated process; the digitisation of the registry's maps and the properties registered on them. Following an extensive tender process, an international team has been assembled under a consortium led by Landmark Information and involving firms based in Dublin, Cork and India. The project will involve capturing the data from roughly 2.5 million parcels of land and this aspect of the project is estimated to cost in excess of Euro6 million over five years. A further key element of the project involves the digitisation of the maps themselves and is the subject of a separate contract, valued at in excess of Euro3 million, awarded to a consortium led by Laser-Scan.
Even for the non-technically minded, the project has an obvious and tangible appeal. Replacing cumbersome and unique paper maps with a system which will enable customers to 'drill down' on their own computer-screens into property details at local level will greatly enhance the accessibility of the information. This should have an empowering effect on consumers in their understanding and interaction with the land registration process. It will also significantly improve the security of this information against physical destruction or deterioration.
In discussing these measures to modernise the registration process, I should also at this point draw attention to the establishment of the Property Registration Authority. As some of you will be aware, I introduced a number of amendments to the Registration of Deeds and Title Act 2004 at Committee Stage in the Seanad last week which will have the effect of establishing the new Authority. These amendments deal with the Authority's functions and its composition as well as the staff and Chief Executive of the Authority. I am pleased to say that Committee Stage in the Seanad was completed last week and that Report Stage will be taken in the very near future.
I want to stress that the Land Registry is not being abolished, nor am I proposing to abolish the Registry of Deeds. Rather, I am putting in place a statutory body which will have responsibility for the management and control of both those organisations. In the interests of continuity, I have included a provision in the Bill that the current Registrar of Deeds and Titles will be the first Chief Executive of the new Authority. I should also say that the staff of the new Authority will remain as civil servants of the Government.
I consider that the establishment of this Authority will have a number of positive benefits. In particular, the new structure will-
- Facilitate continued stakeholder involvement in the strategic management and modernisation of registry services;
- Provide channels of knowledge of, and feedback from, the conveyancing and property sectors leading in turn to increased responsiveness to stakeholder and customer needs and ensuring quality customer service;
- Put commercial and business expertise at the disposal of the new Authority in order to ensure cost-effectiveness in the provision of services;
- Facilitate staff representation in order to promote staff involvement in the management of change within the new organisation; and
- Increase the visibility and profile of the property registration services.
I believe this development will complement the excellent work done in recent years by the Land Registry and underpin the modernisation process which is already well advanced. The Registry has responded admirably to the demands arising from economic expansion and increased property activity over the past decade. I have every confidence that this next chapter in the organisation's history will be equally successful.
I will conclude on this point by thanking the Registrar for her hospitality today and by wishing everyone involved in the digitisation project the very best of luck in the work ahead.
20 June 2005