Land Registry News

A Message from the Land Registrar

What a New Year to remember for the Land Registry! On the last day of the old year, over 6,000 deeds lodged as Solicitors cleared their desks before the holiday and before the old system closed. All had to be entered before the conversion to IRIS could begin. All was done on time so that the conversion could start as scheduled. Over the holiday, as the data conversion went on, over half the staff of the department were relocated as the NT offices were reduced to search centres and the Sai Wan Ho office was closed completely. On Saturday 12th, all were ready and the central registration system, supported by IRIS went into service.

We had some anxious hours before the internet service was working properly and the system settled down but everyone coped well with the numbers coming to our offices or calling in for advice. All now appears to be settling in well.

The 12th of February marks a transformation for the Land Registry. For the first time since 1898 the whole of Hong Kong is served by a fully unified land registry system. For the first time the Land Registry has an integrated IT infrastructure that can support the development of our services to the community. A great deal has been done and all who have worked so hard to bring us to this point deserve great thanks.

We now need to ensure that the new system is fully understood and used to the benefit of all our customers. We also need to look ahead. IRIS - the rainbow in Greek mythology - is a symbol of promise. Promise to the department to enable us to excel, promise to all we serve that in the years ahead we will serve them ever more well.

K A SALKELD, J.P.
The Land Registrar & General Manager
The Land Registry Trading Fund, Hong Kong

 

Update: Information Systems Strategic Plan Implementation

Central Registration and IRIS came into service on 12th February. There is now a unified system for registering deeds relating to land, obtaining information on property and registering owners corporations serving the whole of Hong Kong. Our various services can now be obtained through three channels:

1. The Customer Centre on 19/F., Queensway Government Offices provides our full range of services.
2. The New Territories Search Offices in Tsuen Wan, Tuen Mun, Yuen Long, North, Tai Po, Shatin and Sai Kung provide:
   
   • Search and copying services for any property in the territory, either over the counter or through self-service terminals.
     
   • Applications for registration of owners corporations or search of owners corporation records may be made in respect of the district covered by the Search Office.
3. Through the Internet, searches of property records and copies of documents can be obtained at your fingertips. The IRIS Online Services is available either on a subscription basis or just when needed.

A Guide to Services under IRIS has been published to provide the public with the details of the new services. New features of IRIS such as Property Reference Number (PRN), the enhanced format and bilingual information of the Land Register aim to increase ease of use for all customers.

To familiarize our customers with the IRIS Online Services, a step-by-step demonstration and tutorial of the services has been posted on our website at www.landreg.gov.hk. Customers may also refer to the website for a revised Memorial Form Easy Guide. The Guide provides the most up-to-date information of the new memorial form specified by the Land Registrar.

 

Update: Land Titles Ordinance

The Land Titles Bill was passed in the Legislative Council in July 2004.

The Legal Services Branch of the Land Registry is now reviewing the whole Ordinance in preparation for implementation. Preparation of five regulations is also underway. In parallel, the Title Registration Development Branch is also preparing for implementation of the new system, which is expected to take place in about two years' time for "new land". The deeds registration and title registration systems will then operate at the same time until the remaining land registered under the Land Registration Ordinance is converted to the title system in about 12 years' time.

Several committees have been set up to review the Ordinance and to prepare for implementation of the new system. Membership comprises colleagues from the Land Registry and the Department of Justice together with various stakeholders such as the Law Society, Bar Association, Heung Yee Kuk, Hong Kong Association of Banks, Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation Limited and Consumer Council.

The first meeting of the Land Titles Ordinance (LTO) Steering Committee was held on 16th November 2004. The LTO Review Committee had its first meeting on 5th January 2005. Other committees such as LTO Regulations Preparatory Committee and LTO Implementation Committee will be meeting soon. A Title Registration Education Committee will be convened closer to the time of implementation of the new system.

 

2004/05 Annual Staff Development Theme Training - Upholding Integrity, Striving for Service Excellence

Honesty and integrity form an integral part of the core values of the civil service in Hong Kong. Throughout the years, the Civil Service Bureau and the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) have been working closely with bureaux and departments to promote and maintain a clean government. In support of the central government's initiative, the Land Registry adopted 'Ethical Management' as the theme for our Annual Staff Development Training this year. All officer grades staff participated in the four workshops held in November 2004.

Using an interactive training approach and a combination of games, case studies and role play exercises, most participants found the workshop inspiring. It refreshed their understanding of the importance and challenges of ethical management at work. Many commented that the learning activities were useful in stimulating their eagerness to explore further into the ethical standards of the civil service as well as sensitivity on ethical behaviour at work.

To further consolidate the learning of our staff, a follow-up ICAC talk focusing more on the anti-corruption law was subsequently conducted in January 2005. With full support from the senior management, the Land Registry staff are committed to upholding a very important value of the Land Registry:

To customers, partners and colleagues
we observe the highest ethical standards.

 

The 32nd Australasian Land Registrars' Conference

Information and technology are the essentials of the knowledge-based economy in this Information Age. Two points came through very strongly from the 32nd Australasian Land Registrars' Conference held in Melbourne in October. First, IT projects that were experiments two years ago are now proven systems that are operating or about to be launched in many jurisdictions. Electronic conveyancing is being developed and promoted globally. The Hong Kong Land Registry will proceed on electronic conveyancing as part of the revised IT development strategy we will produce after the Integrated Registration Information System Phase I.

The second issue is the strain on current legislation and registry systems by demands for new types of services and attempts to use the registers to assist Government achieve other objectives than simple registration of real property rights. A dual-purpose register may be required to satisfy the objectives and is another matter the Hong Kong Land Registry needs to consider.

Mr. A G Cooper, the Land Registrar from 1997 to 2001, who has retired and migrated to Melbourne sends his regards to all.

 

Reduction of Search Fees on Land Registers and Land Documents

With the approval of the Legislative Council, the statutory fees for supplying land search and copies of land documents have been reduced with effect from 12th February 2005. Details are given below:

 

The Land Registry Trading Fund Annual Report 2003/04

The Land Registry Trading Fund Annual Report 2003/04 was released in October 2004. It gives a detailed account of the various activities and achievements in the Land Registry over that financial year, in particular the progress of the Strategic Change Plan for enhancing service quality and delivering a unified registration and information service for the whole territory. An audited financial statement with full account of the financial position of the Land Registry Trading Fund is also provided.

In support of environmental protection, the report was published in electronic format only. The full report can be viewed or downloaded through our website at www.landreg.gov.hk. We welcome your comments and feedback. An online survey questionnaire is provided or you can email us at csa@landreg.gov.hk

 

The Controlling Officer's Environmental Report 2003

The Land Registrar has produced his 6th Environmental Report (COER) covering the year 2003. It provides an overview of the Registry's environmental policy, green housekeeping rules and good environmental practices. It also describes our Environmental Management System under which we carry out our environmental responsibilities and achieve targets. It explains the environmental impacts of our operation, the efforts made to minimize such impacts, our past performance and future targets. In terms of performance, we achieved 8.5% reduction in paper consumption in 2003, which was 3.5% above target. We continued to minimize the use of energy by energy-efficient retrofits and management control measures. We had saved 0.07% to 4.52% in the use of electricity in different offices. We contributed to clean air through the provision of cross-district search services and encouraging our staff to commute through public transport. COER 2003 can be viewed from our website at http://www.landreg.gov.hk. Comments and suggestions are welcome.

 

 

COMMENTS

Land Registry News would like to hear from you. If there are any specific subjects you would like to read about or if you have any comments on what you have read so far, please write to us at the freepost address (local mail only) given below:

The Land Registry
Freepost No. 10
Hong Kong

For enquiries, please contact: