Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)

I wish to inform the House that I have published the Registration of Wills Bill 2011, which is the first Private Members' Bill of the 24th Seanad. I will be seeking support from the Leader of the House for Government time in which to have this measure debated in due course. I want the Government to consider this matter, which was unanimously agreed by the previous Seanad. We were in Government at the time and the Opposition parties were very supportive of the Bill.

I also want an opportunity to brief colleagues on this measure, perhaps next week. I draw the attention of the House to the fact that there is no system for the registration of wills in Ireland or, indeed, in most countries. There are more than 2,000 solicitors' offices and each one has its own method of registration, which sometimes can be very inefficient. In fact, many wills have been lost or mislaid and thus people have been deprived of their inheritance rights.