Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of altering the rules for appointeeships so that more than one person can take on the role in circumstances where there is a joint Guardianship or a similar caring arrangement.

We have no plans to change our current approach for appointeeships. This is set out in law and states that where a benefit claimant already has a legally appointed authority acting for them, for example a Guardian, then a separate benefit appointee cannot also be appointed. Instead, the Guardian will act for the claimant; effectively they become the appointee without needing to be so appointed. Where there is more than a single Guardian appointed (joint Guardianship), then to ensure effective management of the claimant’s benefit, the Department asks for a lead contact with whom we will always communicate. If there is no legally appointed third party but there is a joint caring arrangement and an application for appointeeship is received, again for management purposes, the Department will only appoint one of the carers.