AG: New software for companies, land registries

ATTORNEY General Reginald Armour, SC, has said efforts are being made to improve computer systems used by the Companies Registry and the Land Registry.

He spoke during a matter on the adjournment in the Senate on Tuesday.

Opposition Senator Wade Mark said members of the public have been experiencing difficulty in accessing information from both registries in recent times. He said it takes three-four weeks to access the registry.

"Why is it taking so long?"

Armour said Mark's description of this situation was correct.

Around 2020, he continued, the computer software for the companies registry and the land registry had been deemed archaic and Government recognised a need to upgrade it.

Armour said Government brought specialists last year to rewrite the software for both registries.

"As fate would have it, towards the end of 2022, the Land Registry system crashed."

In early 2023, he added, the Companies Registry system crashed.

As a result, Armour said, the implementation of new software for both registries had to be accelerated.

While there are some teething issues in both, Armour said,"We were able to recover and continue to give access to persons in the Land Registry and in the Companies Registry, albeit with difficulty of access." He said they were almost ready to introduce a new system.

The Senate has been adjourned to a date to be fixed.