The Order Paper has been circulated for a Sitting of the National Assembly at the National Assembly Chambers, Government Headquarters, Basseterre, on Thursday 16th February, 2017, at 10:00 a.m.
The Sitting of the National Assembly comes as part of the week of activities to mark the second anniversary of the Government of National Unity.
The Honourable Attorney General and Minister responsible for Justice and Legal Affairs, the Honourable Vincent Byron Jr, will seek leave to introduce and have read a first time Land Registry Bill, 2017.
The Land Registry Bill, 2017, is a Bill to establish national land registry and to provide for electronic searches, the preservation of records and related matters.
The Land Register shall include all consolidated, current and subsequent volumes of the following registers, which are kept in both Saint Christopher and Nevis. Some of the registers are the Register of Titles kept under the Title by Registration Act; every part of such Register kept under the Registration and Records Act that relates to land; the Condominium Register kept under the Condominium Act; any register kept under or document registered in accordance with the St. Kitts Peninsula District (Planned Community) Act; any register kept under or document registered in accordance with the Vacation Plan and Time Share Act; and any register kept under or document registered or recorded in accordance with any other enactment that relates to land.
Some of the sections The Land Registry Bill, 2017, have to do with are the Appointment of a Registrar and Assistant Registrars, Duties and Powers of the Registrar, Seal of Registry, Officers and indemnity, Safe keeping and preservation of records and Converting the records to electronic format.
In December of 2015, while appearing on the Government’s weekly radio and television programme “Working for you”, Attorney General Byron explained that he was very concerned that “the World Bank in their rating of countries around the world on the ease of conducting business, has rated us as 120 of 188 countries.” This, he said, is of particular concern given that recently the rating was in the nineties.
He opined that this fall may be as a result of the time it takes to conduct business at the High Court Registry.
“I think those who purchase property and who have to get titles at the High Court Registry have been frustrated overtime because of the nature of what happens. It takes quite a bit of time to complete the transfer for titles to be produced, deeds and so on. It affects business. It affects the Inland Revenue Department. It affects banks. It affects people who want to get a mortgage at a bank and move forward with their lives and have a better quality of life,” the attorney general said.
The attorney general said that the government has identified a solution to alleviate these frustrations; this solution is to create a land registry
“We have put in place a programme to improve on that significantly. We will be establishing a Land Registry as distinct from the High Court Registry that will be dedicated to managing, to filing and to processing,” he said in December of 2015.
Additionally, the Post-Cabinet for February 06, 2017 states that “Cabinet received audited accounts for the Frigate Bay Development Corporation and committed to its laying in Parliament at its next sitting on Thursday 16th February, 2017.”
The National Assembly will be carried live on ZIZ Radio (96 FM) and participating radio stations. It can also be viewed live on TV Channel 5 in St. Kitts and Channel 98 in Nevis. It will also be streamed live at www.zizonline.com