Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has given consideration to the provision of free Land Registry and DVLA searches for local authorities.

The consultation on ‘Future Access to HM Land Registry Information’, which includes proposals on giving public sector uses cost-free access to information held on Land Registry title registers, was published on 27 October and can be found on gov.uk here. The consultation closes on 21 December and we will set out further information in due course.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) provides local authorities with access to vehicle keeper information without charging for individual enquiries. However, the DVLA does apply banded service charges to recover the costs associated with providing access to the service.