STEP is a member of the Probate User Group, which brings together His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Services (HMCTS), professional bodies and charities to address issues with the probate service. During a meeting on 5 September, we received the following updates: HMCTS has created a new email address for advisors who have a case that… Read More HMCTS Probate User Group update – September 2024
Mark Walley, CEO of STEP, gave evidence at the House of Common’s Justice Committee’s evidence session on the performance of the probate service on 30 April. The committee of MPs was established as a follow up to the Justice Committee’s written inquiry into the probate service and its poor performance in November 2023. The significant… Read More Justice Committee’s Evidence Session into the Probate Service
STEP is a member of the Probate User Group, which brings together His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Services (HMCTS), professional bodies and charities to address issues with the probate service. At a recent meeting, the challenges that HMCTS (in England and Wales) faces in catching up with an increasing workload and reducing timeframes were discussed.… Read More HMCTS Probate User Group update – May 2023
HMRC’s Trusts and Estates team met with the Agents Advisory Group and Capital Taxes Liaison Group in May and provided the following updates: Operational update Despite the unique challenges presented by the current COVID-19 situation, inheritance tax and trusts operational areas are currently meeting all key targets and processing post and new accounts within published… Read More Update from HMRC’s Trusts and Estates team
Update 25 August 2020: HM Courts & Tribunal Service (HMCTS) has provided some further guidance in relation to submitting England and Wales probate applications in the correct format: If you have lodged an application through the online portal using your registered account you do not need to send any application forms, when you send in… Read More HMCTS announces interim operational arrangements
Updated 24 March 2020: HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has launched new standard application forms for professional practitioners. Three of the grant of representation forms have been redesigned for the professional sector. These are the PA1A (applying for grant of letters of administration), PA1P (applying for a grant of probate) and PA8A (applying for… Read More Progress on UK probate delays
HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) recently organised a focus group, attended by practitioners from across the industry and representatives of various professional bodies, as part of its ongoing changes to the rules and processes around probate applications in England and Wales. As Deputy Chair of STEP’s England and Wales Regional Committee, I attended the… Read More Online probate applications update – Oct 2019
Update 21 November: HM Courts & Tribunal Service (HMCTS) has announced this week that all legal professionals’ probate calls have been centralised and are now dealt with by the Birmingham Courts and Tribunals Service Centre (CTSC). You will no longer be required to contact a local registry if you need an update on your client’s… Read More EW probate delays: September update
STEP met HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) this week, together with The Law Society and Solicitors for the Elderly, to obtain an update on the delays and disruption to the Probate Service in England and Wales. HMCTS gave us the following update on work undertaken since our last meeting on 14 May: It has… Read More EW probate delays and disruption: an update
STEP met HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) this week to discuss the backlog of applications and continued disruption to the Probate Service. HMCTS representatives explained its old database needed to be upgraded, which had prompted the decision to move to digital software. The new system was scheduled to go live in January but was… Read More STEP meets HMCTS to discuss EW probate delays
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