A Laois County Councillor has called Minister for Justice Helen McEntee TD, seeking the introduction of a National Wills Register in Ireland
Fine Gael Cllr Thomasina Connell, herself a practicing solicitor, raised the motion at the December meeting of Laois County Council.
The motion would see the General Register Office (GRO) required to maintain a Register of Wills, whereby a Solicitor must notify the GRO of the existence of a Will made by a client and held by a Solicitor.
At the moment, the situation is that a person can go to a solicitor and they can make their Will, but nobody is actually notified,” Cllr Connell said.
“Sometimes, when somebody passes away, their family can be left in a very distressing situation, that they don’t know where the person’s Will has been filed or what solicitor actually has it..
“As a practicing solicitor myself, our office probably gets between five and ten emails each week asking us if we hold a will they’re looking for.”
Many member states across the European Union have set up National Registers for Wills, which Cllr Connell admitted caused some concern that the content of Wills might be made public.
However, Cllr Connell clarified that the only information the GRO would collect would be just the name of the person and the date that the Will was made.
“We should collate a Register of Wills so that they’re registered and if somebody passes that it is known where the Will is – if they have it at home or if a solicitor has it.
“There would be a little bit of work for the legal profession in bringing the Wills that they have up to date, but I think it’s essential that a National Wills Register be set up as a matter of urgency.”
The motion was seconded by Cllr PJ Kelly, who called it a “fantastic motion.”
“A Will might not come to life, so to speak, for 30, 40, maybe 50 years. Solicitors could change in the meantime, and in that process, Wills could be lost.”
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