Registrars of Title Conference 2017

The 44th Registrars of Title Conference (ROTC) was held in Edinburgh, Scotland from 24 to 27 October 2017. It was hosted by the Keeper of the Registers of Scotland (RoS) who also took the opportunity to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the General Register of Sasines, the oldest national land register in the world. Apart from those jurisdictions which usually send delegates to the ROTC such as Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore and UK, there were also delegations from European countries including Denmark, Estonia, Isle of Man, Latvia, Netherlands, Spain and Sweden as well as other jurisdictions like Bermuda and Jamaica. Hong Kong Land Registry was represented by Ms Doris CHEUNG, Land Registrar, Mr Francis WAN, Deputy Registry Manager and Ms Teresa YAU, Senior Solicitor.

The conference covered presentations and discussions on a wide range of topics including electronic registration, automated registration process, blockchain technology, organisational changes and fraud prevention measures. A tour had been arranged at RoS which enabled the delegates to know more about its history and operation. The Land Registrar also made a presentation on the new e-Alert Service for Authorised Institutions to introduce the new service to the delegates and share with them our experience in developing and delivering this service.

ROTC has provided a valuable opportunity for the delegates from diverse jurisdictions to exchange experiences on the latest developments of practices and legislation relating to land registration. With the delegations from different continents, ROTC also allowed us to strengthen the network of counterparts abroad.

After the conference, Hong Kong delegates visited RoS; and met with members of the Law Society of Scotland and visited a local law firm in Scotland to exchange information and experience on current issues and practices on land registration.

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Demonstration of Registers of Scotland’s Digital Discharge Service

The Registers of Scotland (RoS) presented a demonstration of its Digital Discharge Service (DDS) to the Land Registry via a video conference held at Pinsent Masons’ Hong Kong office on 17 April 2018. DDS is an online tool for discharging mortgage securities. It replaces the conventional paper-based process and centralises the activities of solicitors, lenders and RoS in RoS’ online portal. Apart from demonstrating how DDS works, RoS also shared with us their experience in delivering the service, including stakeholder engagement and user training, as well as their plan for further development of the service. The video conference has offered an interactive platform for the Land Registry and RoS to share information on the latest development of electronic initiatives and to exchange ideas. It has provided valuable insights for enhancing our service delivery to customers.

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Visits by the Malaysian Delegates

A delegation led by the Deputy Chief Minister and Second Minister of Ministry of Urban Development and Natural Resources and comprising representatives from his Ministry, the Ministry of Local Government and Housing, the State Attorney General’s Chambers, and the Land and Survey Department of Sarawak, Malaysia visited us on 20 March 2018. We briefed them on the existing deeds registration system under the Land Registration Ordinance (Cap. 128) and the future title registration system under the Land Titles Ordinance (Cap. 585), the current operation of deeds registration, as well as the registration of owners’ corporation under the Building Management Ordinance (Cap. 344). We also arranged a sharing session to learn about Sarawak’s practices and experiences in title registration system. The visit ended with a guided tour for them to our Customer Centre.

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Visit by Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (Tuen Mun)

The Land Registry has continued efforts to introduce the department’s services and the land registration system in Hong Kong to the school community as part of our public education activities. A visit to the Land Registry was arranged for the Legal Studies students of the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (Tuen Mun) on 30 May 2018. Positive comments and feedback had been received from the students. They all gained a better understanding of the services provided by the Land Registry and the land registration system in Hong Kong.

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Visit to the Legislative Council

The Land Registry has interaction with the Legislative Council (LegCo) and LegCo Secretariat from time to time. Twenty-five senior staff of the department paid a visit to the LegCo on 13 February 2018 to deepen their understanding of the work of the LegCo and the Secretariat. They attended a detailed briefing given by the Secretariat and took a guided tour of the LegCo Complex including the Chamber. The visit was informative and fruitful.

 

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