XN000022-1996-02-05 — Page 9

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Over 9,000 agreements lodged with Land Registry in January

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A total of 9,153 sale and purchase agreements for building units, which include both residential and non-residential properties, were lodged with the Land Registry in January 1996.

The figure represented a decrease of 13.8 per cent from that of December 1995, but a 36 per cent increase when compared with the same month in 1995.

The total consideration of these agreements is $22.75 billion, down 14.8 per cent and up 33.2 per cent as compared with the amounts for December 1995 and January 1995 respectively.

The figures are contained in the monthly statistics released today (Monday) by the Land Registry on deeds relating to property transactions received for registration in the Urban and New Territories Land Registries last month. Relevant statistics for January and December 1995 were provided for comparison.

Figures on sale and purchase agreements received for the past 12 months and the year-on-year rate of change were also released.

The statistics generally relate to land transactions executed up to four weeks prior to their submission for registration, as there is usually a lime lag between the execution of deeds and their lodgement for registration.

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Marine Department renews agreement with seven societies

The Marine Department today (Monday) renewed its agreement with seven classification societies to delegate them with the powers of statutory surveys and certifications for the Hong Kong Shipping Register.

Speaking at the agreement-signing ceremony, the Director of Marine. Mr lan Dale, said the new agreement was based on the current International Maritime Organisation model agreement with modifications to suit Hong Kong's circumstances.