Question reference: S6W-15517
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 9 March 2023
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Current status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 17 March 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the Office of the Public Guardian, in light of the reported delays for processing power of attorney submission requests, and whether it anticipates an improvement in processing times in the near future.
Answer
This question relates to functions that are the responsibility of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) which the Office of the Public Guardian for Scotland (OPG) is a part of. The SCTS is an independent body corporate and as such it is not directly answerable to the Scottish Government.
The Scottish Government has regular engagement with SCTS where a range of issues are discussed. The SCTS capital budget allocation will increase from £8 million in 2022-23 to £12.7m in 2023-24. This will include funding to replace the OPG IT system, which will help improve processing times for PoA applications.