LPA registrations up 19% year-on-year

The number of Last Power of Attorney (LPA) registrations in England and Wales is continuing to soar, new data released by the Ministry of Justice has revealed.

In July to September 2022, there were 201,121 LPAs registered, up 19% compared to the equivalent quarter in 2021.

This continues the trend highlighted in a recent report from IRN Legal Research which found the number of applications in Q1 and Q2 of 2022 sat at 399,109, 12.6% higher than the 354,606 seen in the same period last year.

There were also 1,502 Enduring Powers of Attorney registered, though this represents a slight decrease from the same period last year.

The total number of Powers of Attorney (POAs) registered since 2008 can be seen below:

Source: Ministry of Justice

The Ministry of Justice said 57% of POAs registered were from female donors in July to September 2022 and 42% were from male donors. Altogether, 52% were over 75 years old.

Elsewhere in the Court of Protection data, it was also revealed that there was a 3% increase in applications made in relation to deprivation of liberty in the most recent quarter. However, there was a decrease by 36% in the orders made for deprivation of liberty over the same period from 988 to 637.

Deprivation of Liberty applications and orders, January to March 2008 to July to September 2022. Source: Ministry of Justice

Overall, there was a decrease in both applications and orders under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Specifically, there were 9,045 applications made in July to September 2022, down by 8%. During the same period there were 12,094 orders made, down by 2%.

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