Law Commission review of the Land Registration Act 2002: government interim response
Updated 25 March 2021
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This interim response is issued in accordance with the Protocol between the Lord Chancellor and the Law Commission.
The government recognises the critical role that HM Land Registry plays in England and Wales. ln the last financial year, HM Land Registry handled in excess of 32 million requests for its services and its work underpins the ownership of property worth over £4 trillion. The data it holds, and which it will, wherever possible, release openly, will drive innovation and help to support meeting the country’s critical housing need. With the support of this government, it is committed to becoming the world’s leading land registry for speed, simplicity and an open approach to data.
But underlying those ambitions, HM Land Registry is, and since its inception in 1862 has always been, a creature of statute. lt is important to make sure those statutory foundations are checked, from time to time, to ensure they are sound and to enable HM Land Registry to deliver its essential services efficiently, effectively and in a way that meets the needs of those who rely upon it.
The Law Commission’s review contains many detailed recommendations which the government wishes to consider thoroughly. Our preliminary conclusions are that many of the recommendations are likely to be acceptable in principle. However, rather than dealing with the recommendations in a piecemeal fashion, and due to the breadth of subject matter and complexity of the corresponding recommendations, the government will, in accordance with the protocol, set out its final conclusions in summer 2019.