Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 May 2026
528. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total number of first registration applications currently on hand within Tailte Éireann; the proportion of those applications not yet assigned to an examiner; and the longest recorded waiting time before initial examination. [33066/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra533. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of examiners assigned to first registration applications within Tailte Éireann in each year from 2020 to 2026; and whether additional resources have been allocated to address current delays. [33071/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 528 and 533 together.
Tailte Éireann is an independent Government agency under the aegis of my Department. Tailte Éireann provides a property registration system, property valuation service and national mapping and surveying infrastructure for the State. Under Section 8 of the Tailte Éireann Act 2022, Tailte Éireann is independent in the performance of its functions.
It is understood from Tailte Éireann that First Registration applications which require examination of title by Tailte Éireann are processed by dedicated Legal Services Units across three Tailte Éireann offices: Smithfield Hall, Roscommon and Waterford.
First Registration applications require multiple stages of processing prior to registration and the dedicated Legal Services Units reflect staffing in all areas of the process, including mapping officers and Deciding Officers in addition to Examiners.
In addition, a dedicated first registration and Section 49 Validation Unit has been established in the Tailte Éireann Roscommon Office.
The Validation Unit provides an efficient and consistent validation experience for all applicants and will enable optimisation of the guides and checklists available to lodging parties to assist in preparing applications which are acceptable for Registration.
The validation process involves passing each application through a series of pre-defined checks specific to the application type. Where an application fails to meet the minimum requirements to proceed to registration, the application is returned immediately to the lodging party.
The number of staff operating in the Legal Services Unit in each year from 2023 since the formation of Tailte Éireann have been provided in tabular form below.
|
Grade |
2026 |
|
Legal Services Staffing |
54 |
|
Assistant Principal |
23 |
|
Chief Examiner of Title |
2 |
|
Clerical Officer |
9 |
|
Deputy Registrar |
1 |
|
Digital Mapping Officer |
5 |
|
Examiner of Title |
6 |
|
Executive Officer |
6 |
|
Higher Executive Officer |
1 |
|
Regional Mapping Director |
1 |
There are currently 10,095 applications pending first registration on the Land Register on Form 1, Form 2, Form 3 and Form 5 (data correct as of 01 May 2026). Of those, 87% have progressed through validation stage and moved through the various stages of processing required.
Applications for first registration are processed in date of lodgement order under Rule 58(1) of the Land Registration Rules 2012 – 2021 as amended, and pending applications will be assigned to an Examiner in date order.
It is not possible to provide the longest waiting time for initial examination as these details are not recorded by Tailte Éireann. However, the dedicated first registration Validation Unit in the Roscommon Office completes initial validation checks within 15 working days of receipt of an application for first registration. Applications which meet the minimum requirements for lodgement as outlined on various checklists available on www.tailte.ie will pass through validation and on to processing. Queries may be raised at any stage during processing as required.
