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 delighted and relieved by the news that the proposed increase in probate fees in England and Wales has been dropped. News reports emerged early on Saturday morning (12 October 2019), to the relief of practitioners and others in the industry. ‘STEP welcomes the news that the government has decided to scrap the proposed… Read More UK government drops probate fee increase
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 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
Update 18 July: The probate fees order has not been scheduled for debate in the week commencing 22 July. As this will be the final week before the UK Parliament rises for its summer recess, and the end of the parliamentary session, the order cannot now be debated or passed until parliament returns on 3… Read More What’s happening with the EW probate fees order?
This Blog will be updated with developments on the Non-Contentious Probate Fees Order 2018 as they occur. Background and details on the proposals, including the fee structure, can be found here. 10 May 2019: What’s happening with the Probate Fees order? 7 February 2019: A House of Commons Delegated Legislation Committee has voted 9 to… Read More England & Wales probate fees: an update
UPDATE 07/12/2018 The Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments’ full report (PDF) has now been published and includes the following conclusion: The Committee draws the special attention of both Houses to this draft Order on the grounds that, if it is approved and made, there will be a doubt whether it is intra vires, and that… Read More Committee draws probate fees legislation to UK parliament’s special attention
The UK government’s plan to increase probate fees has been criticised by the opposition in the House of Lords. Labour’s Justice Spokesperson, Lord Beecham, has tabled the following motion of regret in relation to The Non-Contentious Probate (Fees) Order 2018: ‘Lord Beecham to move that this House regrets that the draft Non-Contentious Probate (Fees) Order 2018… Read More UK Labour party tables motion against probate fees rise
Update 13 Nov: Please see the Statutory Instrument timeframe below. Original blog: The UK government has re-introduced proposals to fund the courts service via charging higher probate fees. The proposals emerged late yesterday (5 Nov 18), a week after the budget. While the headline charges are less extortionate than were proposed last year, for an estate… Read More The death tax returns
STEP was one of the bodies most actively engaged in the furore that developed around the Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ) proposal to raise probate fees for some estates from £155/215 to as much as £20,000. One of the things that enraged many STEP members was not just the scale of the increase, but the fact… Read More MoJ in special measures on charges?
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