Digital progress given go ahead

The Scottish Parliament’s Economy, Jobs & Fair Work Committee met at the end of January to consider the Registers of Scotland (Digital Registration etc) (Scotland) Regulations 2018. Members unanimously approved the regulations, which will facilitate the introduction of new digital services that may be provided by Registers of Scotland. They will also provide for a presumption in favour of the use of these digital services, as well as remove the existing land registration application form from the existing Land Register Rules. 

RoS is committed to the delivery of user-focused, collaborative digital public services, which are wide-ranging and easily accessible, and deliver value for money for our customers. We are developing a range of digital services that will provide online delivery of land registration in a way that meets the needs of our customers and the wider Scottish economy.

These draft regulations are the next step in our digital transformation and our aim to become a fully digital business by 2020. The draft regulations provide a framework to support the eventual mandatory use of the digital services, ensuring that Registers of Scotland is delivering the most efficient and effective land registration services possible. 

They give effect to proposals set out in Registers of Scotland’s consultation Digital Transformation: Next Steps, which set out detailed proposals for changes to the Land Registration Rules to facilitate the introduction of new digital registration services, including a fully digital transfer of title service. 

The reaction to that consultation was very positive. Respondents expressed strong support for the proposal to streamline and simplify the existing paper registration services, and we hope that it will prove as popular as our Digital Discharge Service, which was launched last year, and has already reduced the processing time for dealing with applications for discharges. 

New developments for ScotLIS

Since its official launch in October 2017, we’ve continued to develop new features for ScotLIS, Scotland’s Land Information Service (scotlis.ros.gov.uk). 

One of the most recent developments has been a function which will allow our professional users to search the Register of Inhibitions (ROI) with ScotLIS.

The ROI is one of our Chancery and Judicial Registers, and its purpose is to publicise the names of parties who are unable to competently grant deeds in relation to property due to bankruptcy, diligence or insolvency. With ScotLIS, not only do users enjoy full access to this vital legal tool, but thanks to its intuitive, integrated interface, they can also access the Land Register of Scotland, the General Register of Sasines and the ROI all in one place.

We’ve incorporated several improvements into the ScotLIS ROI functionality. 

Only with ScotLIS can users “add” or “remove” all search results to their disclosure by clicking a link. Users can see all minute details on the same page for comparison purposes by using the improved “View Disclosure” function. There’s also the capability to review purchase history, plus an improved print output. Thanks to these improved features, ScotLIS makes ROI information more readily accessible than ever.