Land Registry clears backlog

Dec 19, 2017 News

– titles now available within two weeks
The APNU+AFC government had promised the people of Guyana better public service. While citizens still continue to complain about many mediocre encounters, the Ministry of Legal Affairs is able to boast a change at the Land Registry.
Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams recently announced that the land registry is now up to date with its transactions. Williams said this as he made his contributions to the 2018 Budget Debates.
Addressing the Speaker of the House, Dr. Barton Scotland, Williams said, “The backlog which existed prior to the year 2015 has been cleared and all transactions are now current.” He indicated that the public can now expect to have titles issued in a timeframe of two weeks “maximum all things being equal.”
The Minister said that a lot of emphasis has been placed on delivering excellent customer service and “our efforts have received positive responses from the customers. As such there are no outstanding cases of customer dissatisfaction.”
Since 2016, Williams had boasted that his government, within nine months, was able to address a problem that has been plaguing the legal system in Guyana for years.
The new administration inherited the Registry in a terrible state. Williams said that the backlog for Private Transfers was just over 3,500, Ministry of Housing Transfers – 5000 plus, Mutilated /Lost Titles – 325 plus and Mortgage was 650 plus.
When he spoke in 2016, Williams said that while the backlog is being tackled on all fronts, the Land Registry has been most successful in this area. He said then that other Registries were working to reduce their backlog. Williams did not give an update about the progress of these other registries this year when he addressed the House recently.
Also, in 2016, Williams said that the Land Registry will embark on capacity building aimed at ensuring that all staff members are equipped to discharge their duties efficiently. During his recent speech, the Minister said nothing about this exercise as to its success or failure. However, he spoke of other developments.
The Minister said that in excess of 800 registers have been fully restored.
“That is, the previously loose leaf state no longer exists due to an exercise undertaken to have all volumes bound. That exercise is now complete, and it is now quite easy to store and secure these records in a fireproof environment.”
Further, Williams said that the digitization of all records at the Land Registry began in the second quarter of 2017 and is proceeding apace.
“Having regard to the fact the digitization project extends over millions of documents; the completion date is projected at the end of the year 2018,” said Williams.
He also stated, “Attention should be drawn to the significant reduction in the transactions processed compared to the previous reporting period. This fact is indeed a testimony to the elimination of the backlog.” (Abena Rockcliffe-Campbell)

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