Cancer Research UK unable to fund 44 projects due to probate delays, MPs told

The largest independent funder of cancer research in Europe has been unable to invest in dozens of projects this year because of probate delays, MPs heard yesterday.

The House of Commons justice select committee took evidence from charities on the financial impact of probate delays during the first session of its probate inquiry.

Angela Morrison, chief operating officer for Cancer Research UK, told the committee that probate funding represents about 40% of the charity’s overall income and 50% of fundraising. The charity commits money for a minimum of five years when it gives a grant. However, Cancer Research UK’s budget forecasts do not include money currently sitting in the probate backlog, which is currently estimated to be £30m.

Morrison said: ‘We have gone through budgeting rounds where we have taken money out from capital investments. We’ve had research this year that we’ve not invested – there are 44 projects we could have invested in this year that we’ve not invested in. We are making day-to-day decisions based on the fact we don’t know when this money is coming.’

Alex McDowell, vice chair of Remember A Charity, said gifts in wills represent the majority of several charities’ income. With inflationary pressures affecting charities’ operational costs and the public’s ability to donate, funding tied up in the probate backlog ‘could help see these charities through some really difficult times’.

In written evidence, the Law Society said probate applications previously took seven to 10 working days to process. Now, solicitors were citing delays of at least 30 weeks and, in some instances, over a year.

The Society said a surge in applications due to uncertainty over a proposed probate fee increase combined with a move to a new case data management system led to increased delays pre-Covid. The pandemic exacerbated existing problems. The Society also cited a significant reduction in staff working at the probate service between 2018/19 and 2021/22 and technical glitches during the development and rollout of a probate portal as key factors contributing to delays.

Asked about waiting times for probate grants in a written parliamentary question, justice minister Mike Freer MP said HMCTS had increased staffing levels, streamlined internal processes and continued to invest in further improving the digital service, which had led to record levels of probate being granted in recent months.

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