Justice | Backlogs in the Probate Office

I

QUESTION 

To ask the Minister for Justice if she is aware of backlogs in the Probate Office and the effect that this has on business; the action being taken to address this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. 

REPLY 

In Summer 2020, the Courts Service embarked on a 10-year Modernisation Programme following business case approval by the Department of Justice and the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform. As part of this Modernisation Programme a proposal to digitally transform the Probate process has been identified and budget has recently been allocated to the Courts Service to facilitate the commencement of a project, called eProbate, to deliver this proposal. 

The project will deliver a facility to submit and track applications for Grants of Representation online via a public facing portal. This new digital offering is currently in the early stages of development and will continue to be developed throughout 2024 with an expected public launch and rollout in the first half of 2025. The public facing portal will act as a single point of contact for users to submit and track their applications through the entire process. The electronic submission of applications through the online portal combined with automated validation of key information at submission time will enable faster and more efficient processing of applications, with the aim of reducing waiting times. 

At the same time, the Courts Service is aware of its need to reduce waiting times while the eProbate project is underway. In this regard, it is prioritising the recruitment of additional staff to help in this task. 

I trust this information is of assistance to you. 

Yours Sincerely 

Confola Denne 

Angela Denning Chief Executive Officer