Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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2111. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he is aware of the lengthy processing times for grants of probate at probate offices in the State; the plans there are to speed up the processing times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43474/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The Probate Office is an office of the High Court. Management of the courts, operational matters and logistical functions are the responsibility of the judiciary and Courts Service, which are independent in the exercise of their functions under the Courts Service Act 1998 and given the separation of powers in the Constitution. Probate functions are also carried out by County Registrars at District Probate Registries in 14 provincial court offices. I, as Minister, have no role in the exercise of probate functions.

I am advised that every effort is made by the Courts Service to ensure that probate services are adequately supported with staff, training and other resources and that the public are assisted in dealing with what can be a complex and sensitive matter. The Probate General Office and Rules Office in Dublin is open to the legal profession and the general public every morning, Monday to Friday, to facilitate general enquiries, filing of court applications, Probate Officer Orders and caveats.

I have been further advised that significant progress has been made to reduce average processing times. The average time (nationwide) for probate applications to complete is down from 22 weeks at the start of 2024 to 11 weeks at year end, with Dublin seeing a drop from 25 weeks to 7 weeks over the same period. Average waiting times have subsequently further reduced over the course of 2025. It is important to note that the individual complexities of a case can contribute to the time it takes for a Grant of Probate to issue.

The Courts Service eProbate project commenced in 2023 and seeks to digitally transform back-office probate operations, to provide an online portal supporting the digital submission of applications, and to improve the provision of probate information online via the courts website.

A new, plain language information site was also launched on courts.ie in mid-2024 to help applicants and solicitors in navigate the probate process. The eProbate project deployed a modern back office-system in Dublin and the District Probate Registries in March 2025. This will be followed by a public launch of an online facility to submit and track applications for probate later this year.

A public facing portal will act as a single point of contact for users or their solicitors to submit and track their applications through the entire process. The electronic submission of applications through the online portal, combined with a simplified process, sharing of data from the Revenue Commissioners and the automated validation of key information at submission time, will enable faster and more efficient processing of applications, thereby reducing processing time.

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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2112. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will detail, on a court office by court office basis, the number of wills processed in 2024 to grant of probate stage, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43475/25]

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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2113. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will detail, on a court office by court office basis, the number of court service staff currently working in a probate office, in tabular form; if there are plans to increase this number; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43476/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 2112 and 2113 together.

The Probate Office is an office of the High Court. Management of the courts, operational matters and logistical functions are the responsibility of the judiciary and Courts Service, which are independent in the exercise of their functions under the Courts Service Act 1998 and given the separation of powers in the Constitution. Probate functions are also carried out by County Registrars at District Probate Registries in 14 provincial court offices.

As specific matters regarding processing times and staffing at the Probate Office fall to the Courts Service, I have referred your question to the Courts Service for their direct reply. The Courts Service also has a dedicated email address for the provision of information to members of the Houses of the Oireachtas at: oireachtasenquiries@courts.ie.