Land Registry Circular Memorandum (LRCM)

Schedule and Special Service Arrangements for Maintenance and Upgrade of Integrated Registration Information System (IRIS) in 2008

Purpose

This circular gives notice of the schedule for system maintenance and upgrade of IRIS in 2008. It also explains the special arrangements of using the IRIS backup system to provide search services during such maintenance and upgrading work.

Schedule of Maintenance and Upgrading Work in 2008

2. IRIS provides online search services for land records held by the Land Registry. Its services are available to subscribers and members of the public over the Internet 7 days a week and 16 hours a day (i.e. from 08:30 hr to 00:30 hr next day). From time to time, maintenance and upgrading work need to be applied to IRIS to sustain and/or improve its services.

3. In 2008, we plan to carry out maintenance and upgrading work to IRIS on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays in accordance with the following schedule:

(a)	23 and 24 March 2008;
(b)	8 and 9 June 2008;
(c)	6 and 7 December 2008 (tentative date 1); and
(d)	26 and 27 December 2008 (tentative date 1).

Search Services to Be Provided by Backup System

4. During the periods of the scheduled maintenance and upgrading work, the IRIS main system will need to be shut down. We will use the IRIS backup system to provide search services in its place. On the occasions referred to in paragraphs 3(a), (b) and (d) above, there will be no interruption of search services, i.e. subscribers and members of the public will be able to conduct search of land registers. However, there will be some service limitations during these periods (see paragraph 7) and special billing arrangements (see paragraphs 8 to 11 below).

5. The planned maintenance in early December (paragraph 3(c) above) is to connect IRIS to the government payment gateway before certain existing arrangements for electronic payments expire at the end of December. This is essential to maintain the full range of payment options available to customers. On the first day of this suspension (6 December) it is not possible to provide the backup search service. This is because activation of the backup service requires a 24-hour period in which no registration work is being processed. There is no public holiday before or after a weekend in early December that will give a three-day period without the need to provide registration services. The backup search service has to be prepared on the first day of the service suspension and will only be available for use on the second day (7 December).

6. All IRIS search services will revert back to the main system upon completion of the scheduled maintenance and upgrading work.

Limitations of Services Provided by the Backup System

7. During the four occasions referred to in paragraph 3 above, only search of land registers will be provided by the backup system. Other IRIS services as listed below will NOT be available: -

(a)	Order of imaged land documents; and
(b)	Support services to customers: -
	-	Enquiry of orders made with the backup system; and
	-	Re-fax, re-email and re-print of orders made with the backup system;

Billing Arrangements for Subscribers' Accounts

8. A separate demand letter accompanied by a supplementary statement will be issued to subscribers in the beginning of the following month for searches made with the backup system.

9. During the month in which the backup system is used to provide search services, the monthly statement of that month will NOT contain searches made with the backup system. The corresponding search fees will be settled by a separate autopay apart from the normal monthly autopay (the autopay-in due date is normally set on the 4th working day of each month). The autopay-in due date for the separate autopay will be announced later in the broadcast message on the IRIS website.

10. Subscribers will not be able to retrieve the transaction orders performed on the backup system once the main system is restored. The supplementary statement contains only order numbers and no order details (PRN number, search address, etc). The supplementary statement will be not available for download online. Subscribers are strongly advised to print out acknowledgment/enquire order status pages for future reference.

11. As an alternative, subscribers may choose to conduct search of the land registers over the Internet on ad hoc basis when search services are provided by the backup system. Online payment of service fees by Visa, Mastercard or PPS will be accepted.

Customer Service Hotline

12. Our Customer Service Hotline will continue to provide service when the backup system is in use for the provision of search services. Customers are welcome to call us at 3105 0000 for enquiries and assistance.

Enquiries

13. For any enquiries on this circular, please contact our Customer Service Manager, Ms Allan CHAN (now changed to Miss Cherie CHOW), at 3105 0000 or e-mail to us at csa@landreg.gov.hk.

(Kim Salkeld)
Land Registrar