Local Government and Housing Act 1989

158 Electronic transfer of documents

(1) In subsection (2) of section 9 of the [1975 c. 76.] Local Land Charges Act 1975, the words “A requisition under this section must be in writing, and” shall be omitted.

(2) In subsection (2) of section 14 of that Act after the word “include” there shall be inserted “(a)”, and at the end of that subsection there shall be inserted the following paragraphs—

“(b) power to make rules providing for the use of electronic means in the making of requisitions for, and in the issue of, official search certificates, notwithstanding subsection (3) of section 231 of the Local Government Act 1972 (service of documents on local authorities) provided that—

(i) such rules shall not provide that a requisition is duly made by electronic means, except where the local authority to whom it is made consents to the use of those means, or that an official search certificate is duly issued by electronic means, except where the person requiring the search consents to the use of those means; and

(ii) such consent may be given either generally or in relation to a specified document or description of documents, and either before or after the making of the requisition or the issue of the certificate; and

(c) power to make rules modifying the application of sections 10 and 11 above in cases where—

(i) the rules provide for the making of a requisition for, or the issuing of, an official search certificate by electronic means, and

(ii) there has been any error or failure in those means.”