Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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805. 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 to speed up the processing times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47701/25]

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 got underway in 2023. This project 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.ie website.

A new, plain language information site was launched on courts.ie in mid-2024 to help applicants and solicitors in navigate the probate process, while a modern back office-system was deployed in Dublin and the District Probate Registries in March 2025. It is anticipated that the online facility to submit and track applications for probate will be launched on a phased basis this autumn.

The 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 times.

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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806. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of wills processed in 2024 to grant of probate stage, on a court office basis, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47702/25]

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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807. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of court service staff working in probate offices, by court office, in tabular form; if there are plans to increase this number; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47703/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 806 and 807 together.

As the Deputy will appreciate, management of the courts and operational matters, including matters pertaining to court buildings, are the responsibility of the Courts Service, which is independent in the exercising of its functions under the Courts Service Act 1998. However, to be of assistance to the Deputy, my officials have made enquires with the Courts Service and the following sets out the position in relation to the Deputy’s questions.

I am informed that the total number of staff working in the Probate Office in Dublin is presently 22. The breakdown of staff by grade at the Probate Office in Dublin is as follows:

The Courts Service have provided a report on the total number of staff in the District Probate Registries, which is outlined in the table attached. The total number of staff assigned has increased by approximately 10% in the last two years.

Figures relating to the number of grants of Probate in 2024 and the total number of grants of administration intestate are also provided in the attached tables.