Fianna Fáil Senator Terry Leyden has introduced legislation in the Seanad aimed at providing a clear statutory basis for the registration of wills.
Picture Credit: Glynn’s Photography, Castlerea.
The ‘Registration of Wills Bill 2016’ will enable a person making a will, or their solicitor, to register the details of a will with a central authority. This in turn will reduce the risk of the will becoming lost over time.
Senator Terry Leyden said, “There is currently no central registration process for keeping track of the details of wills that have been made. The current system involves solicitors holding wills in their own possession without any central authority knowing about the existence of a will. This is problematic as the details of a will often get lost when a solicitor ceases working.
“There are numerous examples of people searching for lost wills, and in many cases people are not even aware of the existence of a will in the first place. The legislation I have brought forward will create a mechanism for solicitors to register a will. This will ensure that the details of a will are not lost over time.
“This is a common sense proposal which is relatively simple to implement, but will ultimately modernise the process of creating a will. I’ll be seeking cross party support for this legislation in the coming weeks”, concluded Senator Leyden.