Annual Number of Applications to Legal Aid Bureau on Grants of Probate or Letters of Administration

1 Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim asked the Minister for Law for the past five years, what is (i) the annual number of applications to the Legal Aid Bureau in respect of grants of probate or letters of administration and (ii) the annual percentage of applicants who have successfully received such legal aid assistance.

Mr K Shanmugam: The Legal Aid Bureau (LAB) provides legal advice and legal assistance on civil matters to Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents who pass the means test. Applicants for legal aid also have to pass a merits test.

The statistics on the applications LAB received between 2017 and 2021 in respect of grants of probate or letters of administration are provided in the table below.

Applicants who do not qualify for legal aid may engage a private lawyer. They may also seek help from the Law Society Pro Bono Services, the Community Justice Centre and more than 50 other legal clinics run by various community, religious and voluntary welfare organisations.