To ask the Minister of Finance whether he has any plans to increase transparency by putting Land and Property Service maps online with a function for the public to be able to view onscreen for free and to pay to print or download portfolios.

Land Registry map and Folio searches are currently provided online through the LandWeb system. Under the LandWeb PFI contract, a fee must be paid to the system supplier for the provision of this information. Making maps and searches free online would require this fee to be cross-subsidised from the fees paid by customers for other Land Registry services.

The current LandWeb contract is due to expire in July 2021. Land & Property Services has started pre-procurement work to define the specification for a new digital solution to replace the LandWeb system. The new solution will be based on a 'digital first' approach with improved data quality and structure. This will enable a modern, more accessible and efficient service which is designed around the needs of the customers and users of the service. A full review of the process for carrying out searches and the charges that are levied will be undertaken as part of the procurement of the new system.

My department has started a programme to identify and map land and property assets held by government bodies. As the programme progresses, details of all land owned by departments and public bodies will become available through a free public web portal, thereby increasing the transparency around the ownership of public assets.