XN000022-1996-01-31 — Page 68

Reply:

49

Mr President,

(a)

(b)

(c)

The limit of $50,000 was set in 1983 having regard to inflation since the limit was previously prescribed in 1971.

The limit is reviewed from time to time. Consideration is currently being given to the Hon Bruce Liu Sing-lee's Private Member's "Probate and Administration (Amendment) Bill 1996" which proposes to raise the limit to $150,000.

The number of people in the past three years who have requested and been granted summary administration of estates by the Official Administrator is given in Column I in the table below.

Column 11 of the table lists the number of people who have been rendered assistance by the Probate Registry in preparing papers for the issue of a grant of representation for the applicant himself to administer the deceased's estates. In some cases, the value of the estates were over $50,000 and below $100,000.

End

Year

Column I

Column II

Total

1993

1,342

2,220

3,562

1994

1,716

2,449

4,165

1995

1,808

2,872

4,680