Still looking into the conditions at Registry

10.JUNE.11

Editor: As a concerned citizen of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, there are problems at the Registry which need to be addressed immediately.{{more}}

The index of Deed books at the Registry can be said to be in a very poor state. Efforts are now being made to have these documents computerized, but for the time being, some Lawyers’ Clerks and the public need to be more serious while handling these sensitive documents.

We know that some of the indexes are in a mess. From the time you take up the documents to search, pieces of leaves from the index start falling to the ground; even the receipt books from 2009 to present that are not indexed as yet, you cannot find some of the receipt book leaves. It is a shame to see how Search Clerks have them all over the Search Room and that is because these are new Search Clerks with no one supervising them.

The Senior Search Clerks, they are the ones who take their time by fitting the leaves back together. They understand the importance of preserving these vital documents and they must be commended. This creates a problem in finding information if these tattered documents are not put back in the correct books. The next time around, research will be a nightmare.

Lawyers need to see the conditions that their Clerks are working under in the Search Room. The Search Room should be a quiet place, but the noise coming from some of the Search Clerks is unbearable. This must be addressed. When one requests documents from the Vault, it takes forever to get your request addressed. This should be looked into also.

Members of staff of the Registry continue to work under extremely poor conditions. The Registry is one of the departments that makes a significant amount of money in the Public Service, and why at this stage is it in such a deplorable condition? I think it is high time that the working conditions be improved to alleviate these problems. A new Registry building should be built.

From my knowledge, all deed index books should be stored in the Vault. At present they are left inside the Search Room and the Liber Books are now being stored in the Search Room as well. This is so very wrong; these are highly sensitive documents and belong to the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. They must be stored in the Vault under lock and key. Would someone who sees this letter use his/her Good Office and deal with these situations speedily at the Registry?

CHOW