Written Answers Nos. 527-536
527. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average processing time for first registration applications in each year from 2020 to 2025; the current average processing time in 2026 to date; and the number of applications currently awaiting examination for more than 6 months, 12 months and 24 months. [33065/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraTailte 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 it is not possible to provide the information as requested in the required format. Nor is it possible to provide an average wait time for applications for first registration as each application is different, and processing times vary as a result. It is also not possible to determine whether any delay in a particular case is, or is not, reasonable without knowing the history of progression of the case.
Applications for registration of title on the National Land Register, whether for first registration or in relation to registered title, must first meet Tailte Éireann’s minimum requirements to proceed to registration. A significant percentage of applications lodged do not meet the minimum requirements which results in an administrative burden for Tailte Éireann and longer processing times for all applicants.
First Registrations are often complex and diverse, and the first registration process is often quoted as having a curative effect. Once a title is registered it is guaranteed under State indemnification provisions. Where the application for first registration requires full investigation of title by Tailte Éireann, Tailte Éireann must be satisfied that the applicant is entitled to the legal title and, in the vast majority of cases, necessary rulings and queries must be raised on first registration applications before they can proceed.
Applications for first registration of title account for approximately 12% of Tailte Éireann’s overall intake. Average processing times vary depending on the type of application lodged.
• Cases with Certification of Title by Solicitor: Applications for first registration on Form 3 of the Land Registration Rules 2012-2021 (LRR) which are certified by a solicitor and lodged in order, typically have substantially shorter processing times.
• Cases Requiring an Examination of Title: Where full examination of title is required by Tailte Éireann on Form 1 and Form 2 of the LRR, these often involve clarifying queries, issuance of notices and dealing with objections, which can extend processing times significantly.
• Cases where first registration is based on possession: Where possession is claimed on Form 5 of the LRR, these also often involve clarifying queries, issuance of notices and dealing with objections, which can extend processing times significantly.
|
Year of Lodgement |
Total Applications lodged for First registration |
Applications pending as of 01/05/26 |
|
2020 |
13,931 |
0 |
|
2021 |
16,333 |
0 |
|
2022 |
16,603 |
132 |
|
2023 |
18,128 |
200 |
|
2024 |
28,858 |
1,447 |
|
2025 |
33,325 |
5,393 |
|
2026 YTD |
10,198 |
4,186 |
In cases where any delay in registration could have a potential impact, Tailte Éireann make every effort to expedite applications where valid grounds exist, and where doing so does not impose a conflict in regard to priority given to any prior lodged dealing. Lodging parties may contact Tailte Éireann in relation to a specific case by email at info@tailte.ie.
Further information in relation to specific cases may be obtained by Oireachtas members on behalf of constituents by contacting the dedicated e-mail address in respect of Tailte Éireann at oireachtas@tailte.ie.
I am confident that as the required complement of staff have now been onboarded, and with process improvement measures taking effect, Tailte Éireann will be in a position to achieve its goal of reducing waiting times across all registration services.
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.
529. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the formal criteria applied by Tailte Éireann when determining whether a first registration application qualifies for expedited processing; the number of expedition requests received in each of the past three years; and the proportion approved. [33067/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra530. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether time-sensitive financial circumstances, including risk to mortgage approval or drawdown, are recognised as grounds for expedition of first registration applications; and whether any formal policy guidance exists in this regard. [33068/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra536. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage what oversight mechanisms are in place within his Department to monitor delays and service performance in Tailte Éireann; and whether any formal escalation framework exists for cases experiencing prolonged delays. [33074/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 529, 530 and 536 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, and neither I as Minister nor my Department have an oversight role with regard to registrations on the National Land Register.
Tailte Éireann, under its statutory remit, reports through its Annual Report to the Minister prior to the laying of the Report before the Houses of the Oireachtas.
In addition, from a corporate governance perspective, Tailte Éireann as a State Body under the aegis of my Department, is obligated to comply with certain provisions of the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies, and with the reporting requirements as set out in the Tailte Éireann Act 2022. My Department is responsible for monitoring and overseeing such compliance. This is achieved through the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and Tailte Éireann Oversight Agreement, Performance Delivery Agreements, quarterly oversight meetings and quarterly updates provided by Tailte Éireann against key performance indicators. As a Civil Service body with its own Accounting Officer, Tailte Éireann is also required to comply with the Corporate Governance Standard for the Civil Service.
Tailte Éireann will make every effort to expedite applications which are in order for registration, where valid grounds exist, and where doing so does not negatively impact on the priority provided to a prior lodged application or on its obligations to all of its customers under the Public Sector Duty.
Any such request to expedite a pending application should be from the Lodging Party, in most cases a solicitor acting on behalf of the applicant, by email to info@tailte.ie and must state valid grounds on which the expedite is sought. Any undue financial hardship as a result of delays in processing of a first registration application will be considered.
On receipt, the expedite request will be adjudicated on its merit by the appropriate unit dealing with the application with knowledge of the case at hand. There is no externally published procedure in relation to requesting an expedite of a first registration application however, all staff are provided appropriate internal guidance to handle such requests in a fair manner.
Compulsory first registration requirements are not generally a barrier in the conveyancing process.
A purchaser of property with a pending first registration should investigate the title as they would an unregistered title and to facilitate that investigation the vendor should provide the purchaser with a certified copy of the first registration application lodged by the vendor. Following completion of the property transaction, the purchaser must then make an application for first registration.
In the majority of cases, there is nothing to prevent a further transaction in respect of a property which is pending first registration with Tailte Éireann. The Law Society has provided guidance to its members in this regard: Sales where first registration is pending in the Land Registry.
It is not possible to provide the details as requested in regard to the number of expedite requests received in the past three years, as correspondence received which does not contain valid grounds for expeditious processing is treated as correspondence only and not recorded as a formal request.
The table below shows the number of first registration applications lodged per year in the last three years and the percentage of those that have been marked as an expedite on receipt of a valid request from the lodging party.
|
Year |
Total FR Applications lodged |
% FR Applications marked Expedited |
|
2023 |
18,128 |
2.61% |
|
2024 |
28,858 |
1.50% |
|
2025 |
33,325 |
1.69% |
531. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of first registration applications rejected or returned with requisitions more than once in each of the past three years; and whether Tailte Éireann has undertaken any review of systemic issues contributing to repeated rejection cycles. [33069/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra532. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether any internal review has been conducted within Tailte Éireann regarding the consistency and clarity of requisitions issued to applicants in first registration cases; and whether guidance has been updated to reduce repeat submissions. [33070/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra534. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether formal performance targets exist for the processing of first registration applications within Tailte Éireann; and if so, the target timelines and current performance against those targets. [33072/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra535. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage what reforms or digitalisation measures have been introduced since 2020 to improve the efficiency of first registration processing; and what measurable impact these measures have had on processing times. [33073/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 531, 532, 534 and 535 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 registrations on the National Land Register are often complex and necessitate various rulings and queries to issue prior to progressing to registration. All title deeds and documents must be lodged in paper format for examination. Applications on Form 1, 2 and 5 of the Land Registration Rules 2012-2021 as amended, which require full examination of title by Tailte Éireann, are limited by the nature of the applications to major digitisation of the process, as wet ink signatures and paper deeds are required to show historic root of title.
Improvements have been made where possible with an electronic Form 17 application form and online payments. Required searches of the Registry of Deeds may also be requested online through Landdirect.ie business accounts, with search aids available to practitioners.
The published practice directions, guidance and checklists are under constant review by Tailte Éireann, with improved checklists published to the website earlier this year, with the goal to reduce the volume of applications received which contain avoidable errors preventing processing.
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.
Where the minimum requirements have been met, the application will pass through the validation unit and will be placed in date of lodgement order for processing. Clarifying queries may be raised during any of the processing stages following validation.
Where the application for first registration requires full investigation of title, Tailte Éireann must be satisfied that the applicant is entitled to the legal title and, in the vast majority of cases, necessary rulings, queries and notices must be raised on first registration applications before they can proceed.
Tailte Éireann has provided numerous practice directions, guidelines, including comprehensive mapping guidelines, and checklists on its website to assist practitioners in preparing first registration applications. It is understood that Tailte Éireann has provided over the years, many stakeholder engagement events in collaboration with the Law Society, focusing on the requirements for registration from both legal and technical perspectives.
The significant number of applications lodged with avoidable errors creates an administrative burden for Tailte Éireann and is easily remedied through adherence by the lodging party to the checklists provided, freeing up resources to further reduce processing times for applications which are lodged in order.
It is understood from Tailte Éireann that it is not possible to provide the number of applications for first registration which have been returned to the lodging party on more than one occasion as requested, as the data is not readily available. Information relating to the number of First Registration applications rejected or returned to the lodging party has been provided in the table below for 2023 – 2025.
|
Year |
Total FR* Applications lodged per year |
FR Applications Rejected |
FR Applications returned (e.g. abandoned or withdrawn) |
|
2023 |
18,128 |
6,392 |
1,931 |
|
2024 |
28,858 |
18,838 |
1,922 |
|
2025 |
33,325 |
21,222 |
1,723
|
* FR = First registration applications on Form 1, Form 2, Form 3 and Form 5.
For clarity, the figure for first registration applications lodged per year includes rejected applications which have been re-lodged for examination, however this is factually correct. It is work that must be processed by staff and is a drain on Tailte Éireann resources which could be better utilised processing applications that are lodged in order for registration.
It is important to note; the lodging party is responsible for ensuring that an application is for registration prior to lodgement with Tailte Éireann.
Applications which have been rejected, withdrawn or abandoned are returned to the lodging party as they cannot proceed to registration. All deeds and documents have been returned for review and amendment by the lodging party.
Where clarifying queries are required to issue, the application is not returned to the lodging party however, the application cannot proceed further until such time that a satisfactory response is received by Tailte Éireann.
Internal key performance Indicators for the relevant year are in place across all teams in Tailte Éireann and the Legal Services Unit have challenging targets to adhere to in processing first registration applications.
The introduction of a dedicated first registration Validation Unit in the Tailte Éireann Roscommon Office aims to complete 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 if required.
Every effort is being made by Tailte Éireann to further reduce application processing times, including implementation of:
• revised procedures for more efficient handling of the large volume of applications that are lodge that are not in order to proceed to registration
• a targeted approach to reduce the age profile of applications pending registration
• revised internal processes aimed at reducing the volume of applications on hand that are not in order to proceed and remain under query
• an organisation-wide focus on reducing processing times with business process improvements now implemented across the organisation.
