A succession of Government MPs praised a move to set up a ‘Google Earth’ style register of all land in Bermuda.Members including former Premier Dame Jennifer Smith, backbencher Dennis Lister and Health Minister Zane DeSilva said the Land Title Registration Bill would help ensure some of the past injustices over land ownership will never be repeated.The legislation, introduced by Environment Minister Marc Bean at the House of Assembly, gives the Land Register the authority to register privately held land.The Department of Land Surveys and Registration will create a new set of aerial photographs of the Island so that Bermuda can switch from deeds-based property transactions to a parcel-based land registration system.Once in place, the land registry will protect the rights of property owners who historically may have been taken advantage of, according to Government.One Bermuda Alliance MP Trevor Moniz warned the new system would not mean land disputes would disappear, claiming that arguments still take place in the UK despite a land register.He said the OBA also has little confidence in how the changes will be processed because of how slowly Government deals with applications concerned with land.Mr Moniz said it could have been more efficient to deal with specific problems with the existing system instead of creating a completely new one.Former Environment Minister Elvin James said the new legislation would give people a proof of ownership, so that today’s residents can confidently leave property to their grandchildren.Veteran Progressive Labour Party MP Walter Lister said people would face less lawyers fees in the long-run because acquiring land will be more straightforward.Dame Jennifer Smith said many Bermudians today still feel the loss of land being unfairly taken away in years gone by.PLP Sandys MP Dennis Lister, former Environment Minister Walter Roban and Health Minister Zane DeSilva all backed the legislation.Mr Lister said: “Every family now and going into the future can be assured that some of the practices of yesterday can no longer by easily accomplished.Mr Roban said fees of a few hundred dollars to landowners would be well worth it for the peace of mind the law creates.Mr DeSilva said: “Once it’s done we will never have to worry about the things we have had to worry about in the past.”Kim Swan, who was elected as a United Bermuda Party MP, gave an impassioned speech in which he expressed empathy with people who had suffered injustices in the past.“There’s nothing worse than knowing in your heart of hearts that you’re right but you don’t have the resources, or you’ve used up every bit of resources to fight for your rights,” Mr Swan said.He suggested that an “advocacy” function be provided for under the law.“Sometimes the person who feels it needs someone to represent them,” he said.And Mr Swan acknowledged that the UBP could have and should have addressed the issue as Government.“Yes, if there’s blame that needs to be apportioned, I take responsibility as the United Bermuda Party because indeed that’s one of the things we could have taken on board in the spirit of providing some balance and helped to resolve some very touchy issues that people take very personally. And I’m very sorry that persons have gone on to their great reward with these burning passions in their heart and on their spirit,” he saidHe applauded Government’s effort but said this was no time to “be beating one’s chest as a consequence of doing some legislation that the Government should have done a little sooner”.Ruling party backbencher Dale Butler said that he had heard of many cases of “land fraud”, “shoddy deals” and “theft”.He recalled a constituent who had an issue with respect to family property that ended up in the “government household because of missing deeds, missing lawyers and missing memories”.He said there should be no difficulty in registering all the land given the Island’s small size.Mr Bean hailed the debate as a “momentous occasion for the people of this Country”.“It’s not on the level of one man one vote each vote of equal value, but if you look at the primary responsibility of any government, it’s the protection of the person and private property,” he said.“Private property rights are the foundation stone of freedom, the foundation stone of democracy, the foundation stone of good human relations, the foundation stone of peace itself and most importantly the foundation stone of peace in society.”He said he only recently came to understand the “gravity and weight” of the legislation because many of the grievances regarding property and land in Bermuda “generally occurred before I was born”.“But once I gained sufficient appreciation, I realised just how important this legislation is. It’s nothing short of justice for all.”And he declared his pride in having “the opportunity to put the ball in the back of the net”.