§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many interviews took place at each probate office in England and Wales in each year from 1990 to 1995; and if he will make a statement. [13494]
§ Mr. Jonathan EvansThe question concerns a specific operational matter on which the chief executive of the Court Service is best placed to provide an answer and I have accordingly asked the chief executive to reply direct.
Letter from M. D. Heubner to Mr. David Lidington, dated 5 February 1996:
NUMBER OF PROBATE OFFICE INTERVIEWS 1990–1995
The Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department has asked me to reply to the above Question about the number of Probate Office interviews in the years 1990–95.
I attach a schedule which details this information. As the table accompanying this letter is too long to be printed in the Official Report, arrangements will be made for a copy to be deposited in the Library of the House.
63W
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Number of interviews arranged at Probate Offices Probate Office staffed from: Probate Office 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 Birmingham Coventry 382 421 489 533 530 595 Kidderminster 163 161 225 258 217 265 Litchfield 170 208 143 253 266 281 Northampton 223 281 336 359 362 429 Wolverhampton 459 438 492 577 467 539 Stoke on Trent Crewe 132 104 153 154 137 276 Shrewsbury 225 225 299 258 275 347 Stafford 168 188 196 191 166 146 Brighton Chichester — 54 141 255 295 287 Crawley 276 254 333 395 406 411 Hastings 161 197 232 266 244 254 Worthing 268 184 — — — — Maidstone Canterbury 368 351 391 349 434 450 Chatham 219 145 — 302 250 152 Folkestone 119 109 153 192 192 176 Tunbridge Wells 258 266 284 403 370 375 Bristol Bath 339 349 354 422 488 485 Taunton 159 189 189 218 247 290 Weston Super Mare 146 158 159 200 196 182 Bodmin Penzance 44 39 57 44 50 8 Plymouth 298 300 352 442 385 445 Truro 197 229 250 213 263 298 Exeter Barnstable 79 75 72 100 126 116 Newton Abbott 162 133 170 175 170 167 Yeovil 110 111 135 144 133 162 Ipswich Chelmsford 361 471 568 694 783 810 Colchester 299 289 352 422 455 406 Norwich Lowestoft 71 75 104 100 127 119 Peterborough Cambridge 275 383 396 430 503 486 King's Lynn 74 64 97 125 149 148 Leeds Bradford 184 229 209 287 281 309 Harrogate 69 70 95 132 134 131 Huddersfield 190 249 257 254 315 334 Wakefield 163 190 203 240 279 318 Lincoln Grimsby 68 53 72 80 103 102 Sheffield Chesterfield 96 110 131 137 170 168 Doncaster 129 169 203 204 243 251 Liverpool St. Helen's 209 224 244 273 289 248 Southport 135 159 176 221 272 243 Wallasey 145 141 187 218 211 200 Chester Rhyl 73 67 61 78 68 57 Wrexham 60 53 73 64 66 32 Lancaster Barrow 48 48 64 73 89 85 Blackpool 230 239 263 323 293 323 Preston 299 327 375 393 452 418 Manchester Bolton 609 601 651 738 718 457 Nelson 127 134 145 156 160 213 Oldham 294 409 422 465 484 582 Stockport 496 489 520 634 521 — Warrington 241 218 272 279 311 342 Wigan 169 175 277 220 251 248 Nottingham Derby 233 231 249 299 350 302 Mansfield 76 87 97 121 150 149 Newcastle Morpeth 54 57 59 58 40 15 Sunderland 154 126 140 119 70 49
Number of interviews arranged at Probate Offices Probate Office staffed from: Probate Office 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 Carlisle Workington 104 96 77 — — — Middlesbrough Darlington 107 96 99 134 168 101 Durham 148 146 142 93 93 59 York Hull 307 284 346 348 351 400 Scarborough 72 88 88 82 114 116 Oxford Aylesbury 200 217 259 228 233 264 Banbury 7 6 — — — — High Wycombe 290 292 350 414 254 367 Reading 518 536 596 562 371 807 Slough 526 561 596 637 591 670 Swindon 141 137 173 195 137 310 Leicester Bedford 205 217 287 282 331 380 Kettering 105 92 130 154 94 — Winchester Basingstoke 199 240 224 278 306 279 Bournemouth 530 561 628 703 712 755 Dorchester 170 144 161 177 197 184 Guildford 640 744 851 846 980 942 Newport, Isle of Wight 101 97 97 151 149 143 Portsmouth 434 491 491 528 568 540 Salisbury 93 92 97 151 149 143 Southampton 340 327 441 433 448 402 Probate Registry of Wales Bridgend 183 181 190 212 217 269 Newport 402 378 491 499 525 549 Pontypridd 261 319 284 365 378 398 Carmarthen Aberystwyth 39 31 43 37 48 49 Haverfordwest 66 69 79 69 62 96 Swansea 364 368 437 451 456 458 Gloucester Cheltenham 233 227 246 257 240 239 Hereford 128 163 179 154 189 181 Worcester 190 217 247 232 230 218 Principal Registry of the Family Division Croydon 1,186 1,169 1,266 1,383 827 1,424 Edmonton 789 764 866 949 563 968 Harlow 263 344 423 509 399 605 Kingston 1,142 1,131 1,311 1,454 932 1,505 Luton 507 592 712 814 588 871 Southend 560 641 691 787 673 830 Woolwich 580 583 702 770 520 742