John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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165. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of probate officers in the State and the locations they are based; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25936/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The Probate Office is an office of the High Court and management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service which is independent in exercising its functions under the Courts Service Act 1998.

In order to be of assistance to the Deputy, I have had inquiries made and the Courts Service has informed me that Probate Services are provided through the Probate Office, an Office of the High Court in Dublin under the management of the Probate Officer. In addition to the Probate Office, there are fourteen District Probate Registries located outside Dublin that provide probate services. These registries are attached to Circuit Court Offices under the control of County Registrars. They have authority to issue grants of representation where the deceased, at the time of death, had a fixed place of abode within the area of jurisdiction of the District Registry.

There are currently 11 County Registrars carrying out probate functions as outlined below. It should be noted that in a number of Districts the District Probate functions are being carried out by the County Registrar of a neighbouring County who is for the time being assigned to those duties as follows:

A review of the Probate System is being carried out at present and a report will issue in due course with recommendations for the modernisation of the process. Submissions have been sought in relation to the matter and should be submitted withoutdelay to probateservicereview@courts.ie.