Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of when the Office of the Public Guardian will reply to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare of (a) 14 July and (b) 5 September 2022 on behalf of his constituent Jeremy Gwyn-Williams.

I can confirm the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) has received the letters from the Hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare. OPG sent a response to the letters, including an apology for the delay, on Wednesday 12 October.

The current backlog in Lasting Power of Attorney applications has led to an increase in correspondence, including from MPs, which means responses are taking longer than usual. The teams responding to correspondence have been taking steps to improve turnaround times, including working overtime and making processes more efficient.

I appreciate the impact that delays are having on families and applicants and I am taking a close interest in improving the performance of this organisation.