Easier search soon for records
BANKS, law firms and corporations will be able to have access to records on property transactions and companies through their office computers after a link-up with the public registries in July.
The Registrar General's Department will be split into land and companies registries next month.
In July, they will be the first government departments to become self-supporting through the use of trading funds to recover costs for their services.
Registrar General Noel Gleeson described the existing system for the public to look up records in his department as ''technologically backward''.
''Banks and companies have to send many office boys to come to our office physically to look up the records which is a very time-wasting process,'' Mr Gleeson said.
''Solicitors, banks and accountants would like to be able to search the records of the land and companies registries without coming into our office.'' He said under the present establishment, his department did not have the resources to install a system to link computers in the registries with those of users.
Under a public network access system, customers can search records at their offices through their own computers and would be charged accordingly.
The Information Technology Services Department is conducting a preliminary study on the system for the registries so that a suitable system can be bought once money is available.
