Applying for a Power of Attorney for a loved one isn’t something anyone would choose to do. A necessity, the decision is often taken after the diagnosis of a medical condition or illness – an already distressing time.

So, after hearing from constituents about their concerns around delays in registering for a Power of Attorney with the Office of the Public Guardian, I wrote to the Secretary of State to ask:

What the average time taken was to register a Power of Attorney with the Office of the Public Guardian in (a) 2019, (b) 2020, (c) 2021 and (d) January to July 2022.

Last week, I received this reply:

The average time taken to register a Power of Attorney with the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) was as follows:

a) April 2019 – March 2020 – 40 days

b) April 2020 – March 2021 – 58 days

c) April 2021 – March 2022 – 69 days

d) 01 April 2022 – 31 July 2022 – 85 days

According to the Minister’s own response, the time it takes to register a Power of Attorney has more than doubled in the last 3-and-a-half years.

Yet another Tory failing to add to their backlog Britain build-up.