HMLR Update – July 2008

Land Registry has recently appointed a new Commercial Director, Annette Davies-Govett, to coordinate promotion and roll-out of future developments. Annette was previously Marketing, Sales and Customer Service Director with National Express Trains Division. She has also previously held the role of Commercial Director for BAA and National Express for Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted Express service.

We have also seen internal personnel changes with the recruitment of a new Head of Business Relationship Development and a new Product Manager responsible for the development of the XML solution/business gateway. Sukhi Dhillon, in his role as Product Manager, for the Business Gateway is looking to ensure that we are building the XML solution to the right standards and that software providers will help us in the take-up of Land Registry services.

Land Registry is planning two releases in 2009, which will include either new services or enhancements to existing services. We plan to release an e-transfer and SDLT solution in the second half of the 2009 releases but as yet we have not started the detailed requirements gathering and the consequential planning exercise that will confirm the delivery of these two products. However, we hope to provide further details of these at the next meeting.

Land Registry does not currently have a Programme Design Specification for BTR3, of which a HMLR/SDLT solution could be considered, but once planning begins for this phase the development process will engage with the relevant stakeholders. Julie Barry will manage this stakeholder engagement.

Our approach to external stakeholder engagement, which could in the future include TPV's, is to engage with third-party companies where appropriate. Land Registry is aware of the need not to give some companies a commercial advantage over others and of the risk to third party vendors business model to the introduction of e-services. We will continue to engage stakeholders over any new products and services that we develop.

Land Registry's account management teams are now meeting with conveyancers, lenders and case management software providers to introduce them to the new range of e-services available.