Alex has announced plans to strengthen and modernise the power of attorney system to improve the process of managing a loved one’s affairs.
The number of registered lasting powers of attorney (LPA) has increased drastically in recent years to more than five million, but the process of making one retains many paper-based features that are over 30 years old.
Alex has launched a 12-week consultation that will examine the entire process of creating and registering an LPA – with a view to boosting the Office of the Public Guardian’s (OPG) powers to prevent fraud and abuse while introducing a mainly digital service.
It will examine how technology can be used to reform the witnessing process, thereby improving access and speeding up the service.
Alex said: "More people are taking steps to plan for the future by applying for lasting powers of attorney, and we want to make sure that it is as safe and simple as possible to do so
“These changes will make the service quicker to use, easy to access and even more secure from fraud."
The consultation runs for the next 12 weeks until 13 October. To view the proposals and respond to the consultation please click HERE.