Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce the time taken to grant probate; and if he will make a statement.

The most recently published information regarding combined waiting times for a grant of probate, on paper and digital cases, covers April 2021 to June 2021 and is published on gov.uk via Family Court Statistics Quarterly (Table 25):

Family Court Statistics Quarterly: April to June 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The average length of time taken for a grant of probate following receipt of the documents required has been maintained at between four to six weeks, despite the unprecedented challenges faced by the Probate Service during the Covid 19 pandemic.

HMCTS continues to collaborate with service and its users to enhance the service and latest information on this can be found at: https://insidehmcts.blog.gov.uk/2021/08/06/collaborating-is-key-to-enhancing-probate-users-experience-of-using-myhmcts/

The improvement of the online probate system remains a priority for HMTCS to ensure it is accessible to all applicants and they find it simpler and easier to understand.