Latest update April 11th, 2025 9:20 AM
Attorney General boasts of declining backlog in Land Registry
By Abena Rockcliffe
Addressing the National Assembly on Thursday, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Basil Williams
Basil Williams, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs
boasted that his government, during its nine month life span, has been able to address a problem that has been plaguing the legal system in Guyana for years. He announced that there has been a major reduction in the backlog in the Registries.
Williams said that while the backlog is being tackled on all fronts, the Land Registry has been most successful in this area. He did not speak about the backlog in the courts. Reducing the back log in the courts was a promise made by Williams during his 2015 Budget speech.
The Attorney General said that the Land Registry is now located centrally and has made tremendous strides in removing “The years of debilitating slothfulness. The new Registrar and her team are to be commended.”
Basil Williams said that the new administration inherited the Registry in a terrible state. He said that the backlog for Private Transfers was over 3,500, Ministry of Housing Transfers-5000 plus, Mutilated /Lost Titles- 325 plus and Mortgage was 650 plus.
However, the backlog has not been reduced significantly. According to Williams, the Registry has been able to dispose of 2,500 in Private Transfers, Ministry of Housing Transfers-1,600, Mutilated /Lost Titles- 275 and 640 in mortgage.
Williams said that in 2016 the Land Registry will embark on capacity building aimed at ensuring that all staff members are equipped to discharge their duties efficiently. The Land Registry’s service to Essequibo will resume and the records of Land Holding in Land Registration areas will be restored and preserved, Williams added.
The Minister said that the Commercial Registry, having moved into new premises, is confidently seeking to build its capacity to give speedy and efficient service to the Guyanese people. He said that the Registry is 80% digitized.
Williams pointed to the Auditor-General’s report which shows that only 38% of trademark certificates are issued annually. This backlog has persisted for in excess of 20 years; a trademark is issued four years after application. At present, the Intellectual Property Automation System (IPAS JAVA) is being used to reduce this backlog, by enabling searches, examination and the generation of certificates for trademarks.
The Attorney General said that by the end of June, Trademark Certificates will be issued three months after application once all statutory requirements are met by the agents.
He said that patents filed since 2003 are now being advertised in the official Gazette and subsequently, certificates will be issued; while, Companies’ Certificates of Incorporation and Business Registrations are now issued within four days of application.
Williams told the House that the Family Court infrastructure is complete and the rules have been comprehensively revised and submitted to the National Assembly. He said that UNICEF has provided assistance with the furnishing and the training of Judges, Lawyers and support staff for the Family Court.
The Attorney General added that the final revision of the Rules of the High Court has been undertaken by a consultant retained by the Caribbean Court of Justice under the Canadian funded Jurist Project. This revision, he said, should be finalized by March 2016 and implementation will thereafter follow.
Work has commenced on the extension to the High Court, which will provide accommodation for the Land Court, additional court rooms, a Case Management Centre and additional library space.
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