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<p>Official statistics are not published on the average length of time from receipt
of the application to the issue of a grant of probate. Internal management information,
which is not subject to the rigorous quality assurance processes of official statistics,
however shows that in the last financial year (2018/2019) the average time was three
weeks.</p><p> </p><p>Whilst timeliness data are not yet available for the last three
months, it is clear that waiting times have increased. Urgent action has been taken
to address these temporary delays, staffing has been increased and the digital service
further improved, and as a result waiting times are starting to reduce.</p><p> </p><p>There
are no prescribed target times for dealing with probate applications. The recent increase
in waiting times has been caused by a combination of an increased volume of incoming
work and the transition to a new case management IT system. The move to the new system
meant that staff had to spend time being trained and familiarising themselves with
the system – which also had some initial performance issues that have been addressed.</p>
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