The operations director of UK search provider X-Press Legal Services has been appointed to the Digital Property Market Steering Group (DPMSG).
Christian Lister (pictured) joins the cross-sector group of government and industry leaders at a time when it plays a pivotal role in informing the government’s home buying and selling roadmap. X-Press’s appointment recognises the role the business in championing sector standards and reform, the company said.
Commenting on his new role, Lister said: “Conveyancing isn’t broken. The mere fact that the sector completes over a million transactions a year is testament to that.
“But the system can be improved and we now have a rare opportunity to modernise it in a way that is safe, practical and commercially sustainable.
“The DPMSG will help shape government policy and I am pleased to impart X-Press’s frontline insight into how conveyancing can be digitalised responsibly, ensuring data has clear provenance, providers are properly scrutinised and products meet the highest standards of consumer protection.”
On the process of digitalisation, Lister – who is also an executive member of the Council of Property Search Organisations – added: “If a reformed conveyancing process is to command confidence from consumers, conveyancers and the wider market, it must include careful consideration of data, access, privacy, security and transparency.
“That presents myriad complexities the DPMSG will have to resolve. Trust frameworks have an important role to play, but meaningful digital transformation also depends on fair, consistent and reliable access to data.
“Central to this are the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015 (RPSI), which provide an important legal framework for how information held by public sector bodies can be re-used, including for commercial purposes.
“It has taken too long for RPSI to be properly recognised within the property data debate, despite sustained lobbying on my part at both European and UK level over a decade ago.
“I hope to see the RPSI fully utilised within the home buying and selling roadmap with the strongest possible support from policymakers, so that public-sector information can be opened up and applied for the benefit of the whole market.”
The next meeting of the DMPSG will take place on the 23rd July, with timescales for the roadmap to be confirmed.
