§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will list the cost of obtaining power of attorney in each of the last five years. [40801]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonMost people who make powers of attorney do so with help from legal advisers. We have no information about the cost to individuals as this is a private matter agreed between the individual and his or her legal advisers. Where the individual has made an enduring power of attorney, there is a fee to register the power of attorney if the individual becomes mentally incapacitated. The fee for registering an enduring power of attorney was £50 from 1997 and increased to £75 on 1 October 1999. The Public Guardianship Office (PGO) has recently conducted a review of the fees charged, including fees for registration of enduring powers of attorney, as the existing fees policy does not meet the full cost of the service delivered, as required by HM Treasury guidance. Fees charged by the PGO are set by the Lord Chancellor, in consultation with the consent of HM Treasury, and will be laid before Parliament shortly.