30.—(1) The High Court may—

(a) where a trust corporation is named in a will as executor, whether alone or jointly with another person, grant probate to the corporation either solely or jointly with another person, as the case may require, and

(b) grant administration to a trust corporation, either solely or jointly with another person,

and the corporation may act accordingly as executor or administrator, as the case may be.

(2) Representation shall not be granted to any person on behalf of a trust corporation.

(3) Any officer authorised for the purpose by a trust corporation or the directors or governing body thereof may, on behalf of the corporation, swear affidavits, give security and do any other act or thing which the Court may require with a view to the grant to the corporation of representation, and the acts of an officer so authorised shall be binding on the corporation.

(4) In this Act, “trust corporation” means—

(a) a corporation appointed by the High Court in any particular case to be a trustee;

(b) a corporation empowered by its constitution to undertake trust business, and having a place of business in the State or Northern Ireland, and being—

(i) a company established by Act or charter, or

(ii) an Associated Bank under the Central Bank Act, 1942, or

(iii) a company (whether registered with or without limited liability) within the definition contained in the Companies Act, 1963, or within the meaning of the corresponding law of Northern Ireland, having a capital (in stock or shares) for the time being issued of not less than £250,000, of which not less than £100,000 has been paid up in cash, or

(iv) a company (registered without limited liability) within the definition contained in the said Companies Act or within the meaning of the said law of Northern Ireland, one of the members of which is a corporation within any of the previous provisions of this paragraph; or

F21[(v) a building society authorised under the Building Societies Act, 1989; or]

(c) a corporation which satisfies the President of the High Court that it undertakes the administration of any charitable, ecclesiastical or public trust without remuneration, or that by its constitution it is required to apply the whole of its net income for charitable, ecclesiastical or public purposes and is prohibited from distributing, directly or indirectly, any part thereof by way of profits, and is authorised by the President of the High Court to act in relation to such trusts as a trust corporation.

(5) Where a body corporate, as defined by section 4 of the Bodies Corporate (Executors and Administrators) Act, 1928, is named as executor in a will executed before the commencement of this Act, probate may be granted to that body corporate under this section, notwithstanding that it is not a trust corporation as defined in subsection (4).