Wills and Successions Laws
This content has been automatically generated from the original PDF and some formatting may have been lost, therefore it should not be relied upon to extract citations or propose amendments. Please see the PDF for the official version of the document.
WQ.337/2025
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE CHIEF MINISTER
BY DEPUTY H.L. JEUNE OF ST. JOHN, ST. LAWRENCE AND TRINITY QUESTION SUBMITTED ON MONDAY 15th SEPTEMBER 2025 ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 22nd SEPTEMBER 2025
Question
"Further to his answer to a question during Questions Without Notice on 13th May 2025, regarding Wills and Successions Laws, in which he stated he would like to speak to the Legislation Advisory Panel regarding a review of inheritance legislation, will the Chief Minister advise whether any discussions have taken place, and if so, the outcomes, and if not, why not?"
Answer
The Legislation Advisory Panel (LAP) has considered the wills and succession legislation on several occasions, including discussing the inheritance rights of unmarried couples further to Questions Without Notice on 13th May.
In addition to promoting the importance of wills, LAP was of the opinion that there was merit in amending legislation to provide judicial discretion in future where a person dies intestate. This is an option available to the courts in Scotland and it would provide an avenue for unmarried partners to make a claim on an estate.
This LAP was mindful of the complexity of prescribing for each of the many different kinds of relationships in Law. The Panel will continue to consider this sensitive matter and provide advice, including options to amend legislation.