Committees

Probate

Inquiry

Following the announcement that a General Election will be held on 4 July, Select Committees will be unable to meet from 24 May and will cease to exist from 30 May until after the General Election. This work has therefore closed.

The Probate Registry has been experiencing significant delays. There are wider concerns about how effectively beneficiaries, executors and the bereaved are supported through the process and protected from rogue traders. The inquiry will take evidence on capacity, resources and delays across the probate service, and the impact of digitisation and centralisation, including the effectiveness of the online probate portal. The inquiry is interested in people’s experiences of applying for probate including how the administration of probate could be improved for people who are already coming to terms with the loss of a loved one.

Read the Call for evidence to find out more about this Inquiry.

This inquiry is no longer accepting evidence

The deadline for submissions was 11:59pm on 22 January 2024.

Upcoming events

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No upcoming events scheduled

Past events

Tuesday 21 May 2024
2:00pm Private
2:30pm Public
Probate - Oral evidence 21 May 2024
2:30pm
  • Mike Freer (Minister for Courts and Legal Services at Ministry of Justice)
  • Helen Measures (National Services Director at HM Courts and Tribunals Service)
Room 15, Palace of Westminster
Tuesday 30 April 2024
2:00pm Private
2:30pm Public
Probate - Oral evidence 30 April 2024
2:30pm
  • Ian Bond (Chair at the Law Society's Probate Professional User Group)
  • Sophie Wales (Regulatory Policy Director at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales)
  • Mark Walley (CEO at the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners)
  • Stephen Ward (Director of Strategy and External Relations at the Council of Licensed Conveyancers)
Room 15, Palace of Westminster
Tuesday 16 April 2024
2:00pm Private
2:30pm Public
Oral evidence session 16 April 2024
Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill - Oral evidence
2:30pm
  • Joshua Rozenberg KC (Hon)
  • Dr Hannah Quirk (Reader in Criminal Law at King's College London)
  • Dr Robert Craig (Lecturer in Law at University of Bristol)
  • Professor James Chalmers (Regius Professor of Law at University of Glasgow)
Probate - Oral evidence
3:30pm
  • Jo Summers (Private tax and wealth partner at Jurit)
  • Stuart Simpson (Head of Equiniti Benefactor at Equiniti)
The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Tuesday 12 March 2024
2:00pm Private
2:30pm Public
Probate - Oral evidence 12 March 2024
2:30pm
  • Alex McDowell (Vice Chair at Remember A Charity)
  • Angela Morrison (Chief Operating Officer at Cancer Research UK)
  • Dave Hawes (Director of Finance & Infrastructure at Devon Air Ambulance Trust)
Room 5, Palace of Westminster

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