Infrastructure Bill — Clauses 30-32 — Land Registry — National Property Charges Service — 26 Jan 2015 at 19:30

The majority of MPs voted for the Land Registry to create and run a single national service for recording, and searching, local property charges such as planning restrictions and liabilities arising from public improvements.

MPs were considering the Infrastructure Bill^[1]

The amendment rejected in this vote was:

• page 34, line 2, leave out clauses 30 to 32

The clauses in question^[2] related to the Land Registry and were titled:

• Transfer of responsibility for local land charges to Land Registry
• Conferral of additional powers on Land Registry
• Transfer of power to nominate member of Rule Committee

The provisions which remained in the Bill following this vote provide for responsibility for recording, and providing information on, local land charges to move from individual local authorities in England and Wales to the Chief Land Registrar / Land Registry.^[3]

Local Land Charges relate to public matters such as planning restrictions, building regulations, tree preservation orders, environmental health and financial charges from public improvements.^[4] A centralised national Local Land Charges search service would be created as a result of these provisions. Users of the service would include those considering purchasing properties.

The provisions include an extension of the Chief Land Registrar’s powers to enable Land Registry to provide information and register services relating to land and other property^[4].

The provision for transfer of responsibility for appointing the consumer affairs member of the Rule Committee appointed under the Land Registration Act 2002 from the Lord Chancellor to the Secretary of State appears related to wider reforms of the Lord Chancellor's role to make a clear distinction between government, Parliament and the judiciary.^[5]

• [1] Parliament's webpage on the Infrastructure Bill
• [2] Clauses 30-32 of the Infrastructure Bill at the time of the vote
• [3] Explanatory notes to the Infrastructure Bill - (Numbering relates to previous Bill version)
• [4] Local land charges - consultation document
• [5] Parliament website - The Lord Chancellor

Debate in Parliament | Source |