The Tailte Éireann Bill 2020 is has commenced pre-legislative scrutiny by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing. The Bill currently includes proposals to:
Establish a new body called Tailte Éireann to effectively merge the functions of Ordnance Survey Ireland, Property Registration Authority and the Commissioner of Valuation;
continue the statutory office of Commissioner of Valuation;
establish an office of Registrar of Deeds and Titles combining the separate offices of Registrar of Deeds and Registrar of Titles that had existed prior to the establishment of the Property Registration Authority in 2006;
establish an office of Chief State Surveyor to include the current survey/ mapping functions of Ordnance Survey Ireland with the functions of the Boundary Surveyor (an office held by the Commissioner for Valuation); and
establish Tailte Éireann with a Board and a Chief Executive.
Francis raised a number of questions to the Department of Housing officials on the establishment of this new state body. Transcript of his questions:
The LDA - as we know - will be coordinating and mapping state land for the purpose of housing delivery. What role, if any, will Tailte Eireann have in assisting with the LDA’s state land database?
Ordnance Survey Ireland and the land registry mapping systems are available online, both of them are very useful resources available to the public, professionals and students. Will these facilities be maintained, and what consideration has the Department given to increasing public awareness of this new state-body? Also will the LDAs current online mapping of state lands be folded into the database and any CSO data like AIRO?
As the Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) states the merger might have an effect on the consumer base. How long will it take for the merge to be completed and will there be any disruptions in the functions of the three bodies as the merge takes place?
Where will the body be located and will there be multiple offices nationwide?
A transcript of the full Committee session on the pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill can be found at the following link: