Georgetown, Cayman Islands -- May 14, 2008 -- The Turks and Caicos Islands and the Cayman Islands Governments have signed a landmark agreement for the Cayman Islands Lands & Survey Department to develop and implement a fully computerised Land Registry system and related GIS (Geographical Information Systems) systems for the Turks and Caicos Islands Government, including creating an interactive website ( www.tcilandinfo.tc).

Government officials from both countries met in Providenciales on 12 May 2008 to formally sign the agreement. Signing on behalf of the Turks & Caicos Islands were His Excellency the Governor, Richard Tauwhare and the Honourable McAllister Eugene Hanchell, Minister for Natural Resources, Fisheries & the Environment. Representing the Cayman Islands were Mr Kearney Gomez MBE JP, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of District Administration, Planning, Agriculture and Housing; and Alan Jones, Director of the Lands and Survey Department. Also present where Ms 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 JP, Registrar of Lands (Cayman Islands).

Hon. Minister McAllister Hanchell said that his Government is committed to modernizing the Turks and Caicos Islands and its 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."

Minister Hanchell further mentioned that the TCI Government believes in reciprocity and looks forward to fostering a long standing relationship with the Cayman Islands. 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 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 Hon. Kurt Tibbetts have been extremely supportive of this process," Minister Hanchell said.

Permanent Secretary for the Cayman Island's Ministry of District Administration, Planning, Agriculture & Housing, Mr Gomez said "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."

Alan Jones, Director of the Cayman Islands Lands and Survey Department and Project Manager for the consultancy said, "We are excited for the opportunity to deliver a vastly improved Land Registry system to expand the services Turks and Caicos now offers to government entities and the private sector. Our team is highly motivated and has first-hand experience in developing and using a world class electronic Land Registry and National GIS."

Cayman's 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 island's will extend for a minimum of three years thereafter to ensure the new systems are properly maintained to meet the anticipated demand.