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Written question asked by John Milne (Liberal Democrat) on Friday, 28 August 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 2 September 2026. It was answered by Alex Davies-Jones (Labour) on Tuesday, 8 September 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.


Probate Service: Telephone Services

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, a) when did the department last make a review of staffing adequacy with regard to the Probate Service telephone service and b) when is the next review due.

Answer

HM Courts & Tribunals Service flexibly deploys probate staff across administrative work and call handling. Service performance is monitored daily, with resources moved between areas to manage demand and balance call answering with grant production.

Increased demand for probate can mean that waiting times for calls can, during certain periods of the day, be longer than HM Courts & Tribunals aim to provide and the service is reviewing what further steps can be taken to reduce waiting times whilst maintaining grant production levels.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
25156
Session
2026-27
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Staff Telephone services Probate Service
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk