The Turks and Caicos Islands and the Cayman Islands Governments have signed
a landmark agreement for the Cayman Islands Lands and Survey Department to develop
and implement a fully computerised Land Registry system and related GIS (Geographical
Information Systems)for the Turks and Caicos Islands Government, including
creating an interactive website.
Government officials from both countries met in Providenciales on 12th May 2008
to formally sign the agreement.
Signing on behalf of the Turks & Caicos
Islands were the Governor, Richard Tauwhare and McAllister Eugene Hanchell,
Minister for Natural Resources, Fisheries & the Environment.
Representing
the Cayman Islands were Kearney Gomez, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry
of District Administration, Planning, Agriculture and Housing; and Alan Jones,
Director of the Lands and Survey Department. Also present were Judith Garland-Campbell,
Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Natural Resources Fisheries & the
Environment; Kendall Williams, Registrar of Lands; Grisilda Smith Deputy-Registrar
(Turks & Caicos) and Aliceann Kirchman, Registrar of Lands (Cayman Islands).
Hanchell explained that his government is committed to modernizing the Turks and
Caicos Islands and their people, and expressed the benefits of working with the
Cayman Islands.
"With the professionals from the Cayman Islands Lands and Survey Department
team we can rapidly advance our Land Registry to benefit all the people of these
Islands, including local businesses and foreign investments."
"Presently, we face
substantial delays in processing transactions due to our paper based system.
Implementing a computerised database, along with the restructuring of our land
registry office and staff training will allow us to execute requests more efficiently
and safeguard the integrity of data for future generations," Hanchell observed.
Discussions between the two countries have been ongoing since March 2007, when
the Turks and Caicos Islands Government approached the CI Lands and Survey Department
for advice on improving the island's Land Registry system.
Cayman officials
recognized that they could offer technical and practical assistance, and developed
a proposal that outlined a long term cooperative agreement between the overseas
territories.
"Premier Michael Misick of the Turks and Caicos Islands and Leader of
Government Business of the Cayman Islands Kurt Tibbetts have been extremely
supportive of this process," Hanchell noted.
Gomez commented: "I'm extremely pleased to have the opportunity to share
our technology, expertise and knowledge with the Turks and Caicos Government,
with whom we have a long and friendly relationship."
"The Cayman Islands' electronic
registry system was launched in 1996, and we have twelve years of practical
experience with it to share."
The Cayman Islands team will split their time between the Land Registry office
in Grand Turk and their office in Cayman. The planned schedule is based on a
nine month implementation and training period, but the agreement between the
islands will extend for a minimum of three years thereafter, to ensure that the new
systems are properly maintained to meet the anticipated demand.
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