Land Registry
Debate between Earl of Courtown and Baroness Butler-Sloss
The Earl of Courtown
The noble Lord makes some very interesting points. He must also be aware that we are going to have this open and public consultation in which he will have the opportunity to make those points.
Baroness Butler-Sloss (CB)
My Lords, are the Government entirely appreciative of the enormous importance of the integrity of the Land Registry? Having worked for many years as a lawyer, I would like to be sure that before the Government take the step of privatising it, they understand the implications and that whoever takes it over must have the same degree of integrity as the people who run it now.
The Earl of Courtown
My Lords, I thank the noble and learned Baroness for that point. She is quite right—the integrity of the Land Registry has to continue; it has to be trusted by customers, people selling property, conveyancing bodies and the law societies. At an early stage, the project team engaged with officials across Whitehall, and outside government we have been in contact with the Land Registry Advisory Council, which includes the Building Societies Association, the Law Society and the Conveyancing Association, among others.
UK Territorial Space: Spanish Incursions
Debate between Earl of Courtown and Baroness Butler-Sloss(9 years ago)
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The Earl of Courtown
I do not see the relevance of whether the United Kingdom is a member of the European Union. On the relationships between Spain and the United Kingdom over these incursions, the Spanish ambassador is summoned frequently. Summoning is a very serious form of diplomatic protest. The extent to which we have employed it is particularly unprecedented when we talk about an EU and NATO partner.
Baroness Butler-Sloss (CB)
What will happen when the current two Royal Navy ships finish their work in 2017? Do the Government intend to have some decent ship to deal with the incursions by the Guardia Civil on their much faster boats?
The Earl of Courtown
My Lords, our assessment is that the assets, structure and procedures of the Royal Navy’s Gibraltar Squadron are enough for the job but I take very careful note of what the noble Baroness said. We want to make sure that these challenging maritime incursions can be dealt with by our assets there.