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Land registration and development approvals are facing major delays, with some survey plan approvals taking up to two years before a title can be registered.

Minister for Lands Filimoni Vosarogo says the current system is too complicated, with several Government agencies involved in land registration and development approvals.

Vosarogo says land title processing can take more than 90 days, while the use of paper-based systems creates further delays and uncertainty.

He says documents at the Titles Office have been lost in the past, while applicants have had no digital system to track their applications.

“There is no digital tracking, and applicants have had to wait in limbo. The Ministry has been working with its inter-ministerial counterparts to improve the workflow that reaches the Titles Office through digitisation. In collaboration with the Asian Development Bank, the Surveyor-General has confirmed plans to move from a manual system to one that is digital. A shift expected to be piloted and would take approximately three years into the future for that to be qualified, but one that will cut approval times dramatically.”

Vosarogo says the Ministry is now working with other agencies and the Asian Development Bank to move the system from manual to digital processing.

He says the digital system is expected to improve tracking, transparency and accountability and reduce approval times.

The Ministry is also reviewing several laws, including the State Lands Act, Land Use Act and Valuers Registration Act, to modernise the legal framework.

Vosarogo stresses the need for clear timelines for Government approvals so applications do not remain stuck between agencies.

Opposition MP Faiyaz Koya has questioned whether outdated procedures within the Ministry of Lands are contributing to delays in land applications.

Koya says some existing standard operating procedures may be adding unnecessary time to the approval process.

He also raised the example of mortgage consent for properties above a certain value in the West, saying files have to be physically sent to Suva, creating further delays.

“Has there been a business process review done on the current SOPs which will actually remove a considerable amount of time from the limits that are placed on particular applications, et cetera. The second part of that question is, it is an example really, that an approval for a consent for a mortgage on a piece of property, if it is above a particular amount in the West, has to be sent across to the thing, so that creates days and it’s physically coming across. So, when you look at the SOP, has there been a BPR actually done on the SOP so that those times can be cut?”
In response, Lands Minister Filimoni Vosarogo says a Steering Committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica is reviewing Government business processes.

“We are looking at all the business processes of Government. I think it is not a new thing. It is a continuation of the ease of doing business programme that the previous government had started, refining the tool system and the skill set on how we can advance and make that better.”

Vosarogo says the proposed State Lands Act will also increase the approval limit for the Western Manager of Lands.

He says the Ministry is also testing an online mortgage consent system with several law firms.

Vosarogo says the online system means applications can be processed without the need to physically transfer files between offices.