Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of enabling digital applications for a lasting power of attorney to be made through the medium of Welsh.

The Office of the Public Guardian’s services cover both England and Wales and as such we provide paper forms to allow customers to apply for Lasting Powers of Attorney in Welsh.

The Powers of Attorney Bill currently progressing through Parliament will, for the first time, provide users with the option to digitally create a lasting power of attorney and to apply to register it.  We intend this digital channel to be available in Welsh to ensure our Welsh customers benefit from this service.  As part of ongoing work to design how the digital service will work, officials are engaging with key stakeholders in Wales to ensure that the needs of Welsh speaking users are met.