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<p>The Government is currently reviewing the case for reform of the law on making
wills given current circumstances.</p><p>The constraints of the Covid-19 situation
must be balanced against the important safeguards in the law to protect elderly and
vulnerable people in particular against undue influence and fraud. Having two independent
witnesses provides safeguards to those making wills. Privileged wills are a long established
convention restricted to people making wills when on active military service where
the normal formalities cannot be observed, but which do not equate to the current
civil circumstances. Other reform measures are being considered at present.</p><p>In
the longer term, the Government will consider reforms to the law on wills arising
from the forthcoming Law Commission report on wills, which will explore a range of
issues reviewing the current law and the case for reform (including on the use of
technology).</p><p>The Government is committed to considering further work on witnessing
documents by video-conference generally, in the light of the recent Law Commission
report on Electronic Execution of Documents, which will help to inform potential reforms
to the law on wills in the future.</p>
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