The Gazette 1967/71

document requiring sealing on the Thursday before the managers' meeting on a Wednesday. Although documents are lodged in the law agent's office delays may arise from a number of circumstances. One factor of particular impor– tance is the fact that the Corporation offices are not all situated in one building but are scattered throughout the city. Before the seal of the Corporation is affixed to a deed it must be witnessed by the Lord Mayor. The Lord Mayor's attendance at the City Hall for this purpose depends on his other commit– ments. Before a sealed document can be returned from the Corporation an entry must be made in the seal book in which are recorded all documents which are sealed and the dates on which the seal is affixed. A further delay may be caused by the necessity of having memorials sworn. On average the minimum period within which documents can be sealed and returned is between two and three weeks. Some of the complaints raised by members re– lated to the sealing of releases of mortgages. In this matter the Corporation unlike most private commercial concerns is bound by statute and pay– ment of the outstanding monies must first be made before a managerial order will be made to have the document sealed. No difficulty arises where a building society is prepared to close the sale and wait for the deed of release. Some buil– ding societies will not close a sale unless the deed of release is handed over on closing. An immediate reaction to the foregoing is that the statutes and regulations governing the sealing and procedural requirements of local authorities stand in urgent need of review. They should be amended to bring them into line with today's requirements. The affixing of a seal is really a formality. The mind that directs the hand that affixes the seal of a large Corporation usually knows nothing about the substance or contents of the document sealed. Everything has already been done. Why should the personal attendance of the Lord Mayor, over– burdened with other work, be required? In our view this purely administrative function should be performed by named permanent officials at a sufficiently responsible level. LAND REGISTRY On any application to the Land Registry to regis– ter a transfer, a transmission on death or a charge and where the title registered is or is deemed to be possessory and the ownership of the land has been registered for more than thirty years the 27

£12-12-0; between £3,000 and £4,000, £15-15-0; between £4,000 and £7,000, £21-0-0; between £7,000 and £10,000, £26-5-0; exceeds £10,000, £1-1-0 per additional £1,000. (2) Advising on Title, Settling Requisitions and directing searches (without settling deed), Deduct £2-2-0. (3) Where counsel is required to give further advice on any point arising from the Requisitions on Title or replies thereto or otherwise, £4-4-0. (4) Advising vendor on title and settling con– tract or conditions of sale : The scale set out at (1) above shall apply. (5) Considering requisitions on title, settling answers thereto and approving draft conveyance on behalf of vendor. (a) Where counsel has not settled the contract or conditions of sale : Such fee as shall be appropriate having re– gard to the scale set out at (1) above. (b) Where counsel has settled the contract or conditions of sale, £5-5-0. (6) Settling any deed, £6-6-0. Note : The above fees are minimum fees and apply only in simple cases. The existence of any of the circumstances set out below justify charging a fee in addition to that chargeable under the foregoing scale : (1) Difficulty in the title. (2) The perusal of an unusual number of documents. (3) Absence of proper abstract or precis to title. (4) Furnishing of original documents or copies in a form other than typewritten copies. (5) The time within which the work is required to be completed. Members in Dublin who have raised queries about the delay in the sealing of documents with the Dublin Corporation may be unaware of the ad– ministrative machine through which documents must pass before being sealed. The Corporation officials have informed us that there is a sealing once in each week. Before a document can be sealed a managerial order authorising the use of the Corporation seal must be made. This order is made by the manager or one of the assistant city managers at a meeting held in the Wednesday of each week. In order therefore that a managerial authorisation may be given to have a document sealed it is in the interest of members to lodge the DUBLIN CORPORATION — SEALING OF DOCUMENTS