Court Officers Act, 1926

Closing of district probate registries.

56.—(1) The Minister may by order close any district probate registry as from such date (not being earlier than the date of the order) as he shall think proper.

(2) Whenever the Minister makes an order under this section closing a district probate registry such registry shall as from the date specified in the order for the closing thereof cease to exist and, save as hereinafter mentioned, the Probates and Letters of Administration Act (Ireland), 1857 shall have effect in the district previously served by such registry as if that district were omitted from Schedule (A) of that Act.

(3) Whenever the Minister makes an order under this section closing a district probate registry the Minister may by such order, if he so thinks fit, make provision for enabling applications for probates of wills and letters of administration in cases in which the testator or intestate (as the case may be) at the time of his death had a fixed place of abode within the district previously served by such registry to be lodged with the county registrar for the area in which such fixed place of abode was situate and for the transmission of such applications by the county registrar to the principal probate registry and the transmission of the probates and letters of administration (if and when issued) from the principal probate registry to the said county registrar for delivery to the person entitled thereto.

(4) The Minister may, if and when he so thinks fit, by order make provision for enabling applications for probates of wills and letters of administration in cases in which the testator or intestate (as the case may be) at the time of his death had a fixed place of abode in Saorstát Eireann but not within any of the districts served at the commencement of this Part of this Act by a district probate registry to be lodged with the county registrar for the area in which such fixed place of abode was situate and for the transmission of such application by the county registrar to the principal probate registry and the transmission of the probates and letters of administration (if and when issued) from the principal probate registry to the said county registrar for delivery to the person entitled thereto.