Chief Land Registrar and Chief Executive’s foreword

2003-04 was a truly historic year for Land Registry.

For more than three-quarters of a century, we have worked within the comfortable framework of the Land Registration Act 1925. But that legislation no longer met the needs of the modern age. The Land Registration Act 2002, brought into force on 13 October 2003, gives us the modern legislative framework that we need.

Despite the challenges posed by the new Act, this year we also processed more work, faster and more accurately, than at any time in our history.

In 2003-04  we also: 

• completed the computerisation of all our registers and our Index Map 
• implemented a virtual call centre to give a better telephone service 
• made our key information services available over the Internet 
• successfully piloted ‘machine to machine’ discharges of mortgages 
• made progress with the new building for our IS group in Plymouth and with our third computer centre 
• rolled out our new Oracle-based Business Information System paving the way for e-billing and e-invoicing 
• made progress with our new human resource and electronic records management systems.

My fellow directors and I are immensely proud of all that Land Registry has achieved in 2003-04. But we also know that we have many people to thank for their part in our success: 

• our customers for making greater use of our services and for the feedback they give us 
• those who represent the conveyancing community with whom we develop many of our ideas and plans 
• our business partners for the vital services they supply to us 
• the Rule Committee which this year sat for an unprecedented ten meetings 
• our Ministers and their advisors for their interest and support, 
• our staff for their skills, energy and enthusiasm.

Peter Collis
Chief Land Registrar and Chief Executive