§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what representations he has received from trade unions, members of the public and public bodies concerning the proposed closure of probate offices. [30361]
§ 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 Michael Huebner to Mr. Gordon Prentice, dated 22 May 1996:
The Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department has asked me to reply to your Question about representations received on the proposed restructuring of the Probate Service.Written responses were received from the Lord Chancellor's Department Whitley Council Trade Union Side, the Public Services, Tax and Commerce Union (PTC), and the National Union of Civil and Public Servants (NUCPS). 99 individual members of the public wrote in to make representations against the closure of specific Probate Sub-Registries and Probate Offices, of whom three lodged petitions bearing the signatures of a combined total of 696 people.228WNationally, replies were received from the Law Society and the National Federation of Post Office and BT Pensioners. Locally, representations about the proposed closure of specific Sub-Registries and Offices were received from local authorities, local Citizens Advice Bureaux, local Law Society offices, solicitors, local branches of banks and other financial institutions, Family History Societies and local branches of Age Concern.