§ Mr. Harrisasked the Prime Minister which Minister has responsibility for monitoring the performance of the Public Trustee and for assessing whether the Public Trustee gives value for fees charged to those clients who are required to use his services.
§ The Prime MinisterThe Lord Chancellor has ministerial responsibility for the Public Trustee. The Public Trustee is an independent statutory corporation and, like any other trustee, is responsible to the beneficiaries of each trust of which he is trustee for administering the trust competently and in accordance with the relevant law. In case of any failure to do so, recourse may be had to the courts. The Public Trustee's Office is self-financing: he is required by statute to set his fees at a level sufficient to cover the cost of the service he provides.