Future Plan
After the closing of the consultation on 31 March 2009, we will consider the views and comments received on the matters under consultation and will work to finalise the amendments required. We will report to LegCo’s Joint Subcommittee on Amendments to Land Titles Ordinance. The key stakeholders will be consulted on a further draft of the amendment bill that is being prepared. We aim to introduce the bill into LegCo in end 2010 and commence title registration one year after the enactment of the bill.
We are continuing with the preparation for transitional arrangements, operation manuals and procedures and the design and development of a new IT system to support title registration. We will also prepare the draft conveyancing forms, application forms, practice notes and guidelines for the implementation of title registration. For professional training programmes, we are planning to set up working groups to take forward the programmes. Meetings will be convened when the Land Titles (Amendment) Bill is finalised.
Legal Services apart from Title Registration Work
In the past year, apart from the work relating to the LTO, the Legal Services Branch continued to provide legal advisory and support services relating to the deeds registration system and registration of owners’ corporations under the Building Management Ordinance.
Consultation on the proposal to deal with stopped deeds had been completed. Amendments to the Land Registration Ordinance (LRO) to implement the proposal will be made by way of consequential amendments in the Land Titles (Amendment) Bill. Preparation for the drafting of the amendments is underway.
We are also preparing draft amendments to the LRO to provide for the depositing of standard terms documents. A standard terms document is a document containing provisions intended to be incorporated as terms of an instrument to which the document applies. Initially the Land Registry will accept the depositing of documents containing terms and conditions for incorporation in charges or mortgages.