LAND TITLES (STRATA) (AMENDMENT) BILL

Order for Second Reading read. 5.37 p.m.

The Minister for Law (Mr E.W. Barker): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

In March 1982, this Parliament enacted the Planning (Amendment) Act, 1982, which amended the Planning Act (Chapter 279) inter alia, to empower the Planning Authority to grant written permission for the development of land under section 9(3) of the Act, subject to the condition that 30% of the floor area of the development must be owned by a single person for a period of 10 years from the date of the latest grant of a temporary occupation licence issued by the competent authority prior to the issue of the certificate of fitness in respect of the development.

This Bill introduces amendments to the Land Titles (Strata) Act (Chapter 277) to empower the Registrar of Titles to prohibit the registration of any instrument disposing of any interest in any flat or unit comprised in the aforesaid 30% of the floor area of a development in contravention of the aforesaid condition imposed by the Planning Authority and to enter a notification on the certificate of title or any subsidiary strata certificate of title affected by the condition so that intending purchasers are put on notice regarding that condition. The Registrar will also be empowered to cancel the registration of any instrument disposing of such a flat or unit if it has been inadvertently registered.

The Bill also introduces other amendments to the Land Titles (Strata) Act for the purposes of -

(a) changing the requirements of strata title plans to be filed with the Registrar of Titles; and

(b) making changes in the practice and procedure affecting the issue of strata titles and the filing of schedules of strata units in respect of the share value to be allocated for the strata units in a subdivided building. Amendments are also made to clarify ambiguities in the Act.

The Bill also amends the Land Titles Act (Chapter 276) to empower the Registrar to issue a single certificate of title for a large development comprising two or more parcels of land of different tenure. This will reduce the administrative workload of the staff at the Registry of Titles and will make it easier for conveyancing lawyers to carry out their searches on titles.

Sir, I beg to move.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House.

The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Mr E W Barker].

Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed.