Official Report search · Parliament Workbench

Chamber

Meeting of the Parliament 14 March 2012

14 Mar 2012 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament

Item of business

Land Registration etc (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Park, John Lab Mid Scotland and Fife Watch on SPTV

I thank the clerks for the support that they gave me as a new member of the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee when I started in January, just after the Christmas break. On an issue such as the Land Registration etc (Scotland) Bill, with members going from a standing start, the support that we receive from parliamentary staff is important. I thank my fellow committee members for the warm welcome that they gave me. Perhaps that was because they were pleased to have me to share the burden of the bill, although I am sure that it was a wee bit more than that. There has been a steep learning curve for all of us, me included, on land registration, but we were boosted by the understanding and knowledge of those who gave oral and written evidence to the committee. As the committee’s work progressed over the past couple of months, we began to appreciate the expertise in and understanding of the issues that are out there.

One key issue, which John Wilson mentioned and which I think is the most important factor, is about ensuring that we start to complete the land register. I was amazed to find that, although it has been 30 years since the initial legislation was introduced, only 21 per cent of the landmass has been registered. If the bill does anything at all to improve the opportunities to increase the amount of land that is registered in Scotland, whether through voluntary means or some form of enticement, that would be a success in itself. However, in trying to do that, although it is important to have something in the bill, the net result is that we need to ensure that we have sufficient resources to make it happen. We have spoken about the keeper’s reserves, and we need to see where the deliberations on that take us. I hope that resources will be made available to increase the amount of land that is registered in Scotland.

I am keen to highlight a couple of things about electronic documents and the accessibility of the land register. Those are important issues for people outside the Parliament who are trying to engage with the land register and people who are trying to conclude as quickly as possible their deliberations with the legal professionals who are acting on their behalf. For example, a local group in my area wanted to find a bit of land that would be suitable for them to build a sports facility on. Although they were able to bring partners together and find information about a range of things, particularly funding, they found it difficult to engage with the land register. There are a number of websites that tell us how much houses cost. I wonder whether we might be able to get a system in place in which someone could press a button and identify the piece of land that they wanted to use, getting the information quickly online instead of having to go through the rather laborious process that people have to go through now of checking and identifying the land on Google maps. If the bill could set up an electronic system that improved the opportunities for consumers, that would be very welcome.

On section 108 and the offence provision, I was quite confused about the evidence that was provided. Most committee members were concerned about the lack of real evidence that the section would make a difference, so I appreciate the minister’s comments today about guidance being produced by the Law Society and the keeper. I look forward to seeing that.

I thank again those who have given evidence to the committee and hope that we can get a workable bill as we move forward.

14:12

Search Hansard contributions

Meeting of the Parliament 14 March 2012

In the same item of business