My noble Friend the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor has today made the following written ministerial statement:

“I have today laid before Parliament “Local Land Charge Fees: Guidance for registering authorities on setting fees for local land charge services in England” (Cm 7026). This guidance has been prepared in the light of the responses to the consultation paper of the same name (CP (L) 25/06) published by my Department on 23 October 2006.

Registering authorities in England will set all fees for local land charge services (except the fee for a personal search of the local land charges register) from and including 1 April 2007. They must have regard to the guidance when specifying and publishing these fees.

This guidance may be revised in the light of the outcome of the work being undertaken by my Department and the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to review the setting of fees for personal searches of the local land charges register and to commission guidance on the setting of property search fees generally, as announced on 25 January in DCLG's consultation paper “Home Information Pack Update: Towards 1 June”.

I have placed in the Libraries of both Houses copies of the guidance and the analysis of the response to the consultation paper published by my Department today”.