Citation, commencement and revocation

1.-(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Land Registration (Conduct of Business) Regulations 2000 and shall come into force on 2nd October 2000.

(2) The Land Registration (Conduct of Business) Regulations 1997(2) are revoked.

Interpretation

2. In these Regulations-

(a)"the Act" means the Land Registration Act 1925;

(b)"the hearings procedure rules" means the Land Registration (Hearings Procedure) Rules 2000(3);

(c)"the principal rules" means the Land Registration Rules 1925(4);

(d)"qualified registrar" means a registrar who has a 10 year general qualification within the meaning of section 71 of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990(5); and

(e)"Schedule" means the schedule to this order.

Solicitor to HM Land Registry

3.-(1) The acts of the Registrar to which this regulation applies may be done for all purposes by a single qualified registrar nominated by the Registrar.

(2) The registrar nominated under paragraph (1) shall be styled Solicitor to H.M. Land Registry.

Acts of the Registrar which may be done by the Solicitor to H.M. Land Registry

4. Regulation 3 applies to the acts of the Registrar which are authorised or required to be done in pursuance of-

(a)the provisions of the Act specified in the first column of Part I of the Schedule, subject to the limitation, if any, specified in the second column thereof;

(b)the provisions of the principal rules specified in the first column of Part II of the Schedule, subject to the limitation, if any, specified in the second column thereof;

(c)rules 2 to 19 of the hearings procedure rules.

Vacancy in office of, or absence of, the Solicitor to H.M. Land Registry

5.-(1) During a vacancy in the office of, or in the absence of, the Solicitor to H.M. Land Registry, the acts of the Registrar to which regulation 3 applies may be done by another qualified registrar nominated by the Registrar.

(2) Any registrar acting under the authority of paragraph (1) shall, while so acting, be styled Acting Solicitor to H.M. Land Registry.

(3) A registrar must not do any act under paragraph (1) in relation to a matter if he has had any dealing with that matter otherwise than pursuant to paragraph (1).

Determination of matters under rule 299 of the principal rules

6.-(1) Subject to paragraph (3), for the purposes of determining a matter under rule 299 of the principal rules (hearing before the Registrar) and making an order as to costs following such a determination, the acts of the Registrar to which regulation 3 applies may be done by any qualified registrar who has been nominated by the Registrar to have the conduct of hearings.

(2) Any registrar acting under the authority of paragraph (1) shall, while so acting, be styled Deputy Solicitor to H.M. Land Registry.

(3) A registrar must not do any act under paragraph (1) in relation to a matter if he has had any dealing with that matter otherwise than pursuant to paragraph (1).

Regulation 4

SCHEDULESPECIFIED PROVISIONS OF THE ACT AND THE PRINCIPAL RULES

PART ITHE ACT

PART IITHE PRINCIPAL RULES

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations, which supersede the Land Registration (Conduct of Business) Regulations 1997, make amendments to the acts of the Registrar which may be done by a legally qualified registrar, called the Solicitor to HM Land Registry, or, during a vacancy in the office of, or in the absence of, the Solicitor to HM Land Registry, by another legally qualified registrar (called the Acting Solicitor to HM Land Registry). They further provide for those acts to be done by another legally qualified registrar (called the Deputy Solicitor to HM Land Registry) for the purpose of determining a matter under rule 299 of the Land Registration Rules 1925 (hearing before the Registrar) and making an order as to costs following such a determination, where such registrar has been nominated by the Registrar to have the conduct of hearings.