Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the impact of the covid-19 outbreak on the efficiency of the Office of the Public Guardian.

It currently takes up to 20 weeks for an LPA to be registered. OPG’s target to register LPAs is 40 days. It should be noted that OPG must carry out checks on receipt of the LPA before notices are issued, and then must observe a statutory waiting period of 4 weeks to allow for objections before the registration process can be completed. This statutory waiting period cannot be waived and is included in the calculation for the number of days to register an LPA. Like many organisations, Covid had a significant impact on the OPG, particularly in the processing and registration of LPAs.

A backlog to register LPAs was initially created at the start of the pandemic when the numbers of staff in the office significantly reduced due to self-isolation, shielding and caring responsibilities. From April 2021 incoming workload increased significantly as restrictions were lifted. There was then a significant period of Covid related sickness from September 2021 for a number of months. The backlog has been exacerbated by record daily applications for LPAs at c4,200 per day (compared to c3,600 a day pre-pandemic). This has caused an increase in average time taken to register an LPA.

The OPG know the delays are frustrating the customers and is committed to reducing the time it is currently taking to register LPAs. OPG staff are working day and night to tackle the Covid backlog. Frontline operational staff whose role requires them to be office-based have worked in the office throughout the pandemic and continue to do so. The OPG rapidly changed working practices and processes during the pandemic to continue to deliver their services and the number of LPAs being processed each month is back to what it was before the pandemic. The OPG has continued to deliver its wider statutory functions throughout the pandemic, including supervising deputies and guardians appointed by the Court of Protection and the High Court, and investigating representations, complaints, or allegations of abuse, made against guardians, deputies, and attorneys acting under registered powers.