To ask the Minister of Justice to outline the role her Department will have in the (i) registration; and (ii) oversight of Lasting Powers of Attorney, when implemented under the Mental Capacity Act (Northern Ireland) 2016.

The 2016 Act provides for a Public Guardian, to be appointed and resourced by my Department. The Public Guardian’s functions will include establishing and maintaining a register of lasting powers of attorney, receiving reports from attorneys and dealing with complaints about the way in which powers are being exercised by attorneys. Under the legislation, oversight of lasting powers of attorney is ultimately a matter for the High Court.