Tag Archives: lasting power of attorney

Mark Pack

If you want to understand modern government, understand the Office of the Public Guardian

By Mark Pack | Tue 19th January 2010 - 11:20 am

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) neatly encapsulates much of how modern government is run, its weaknesses and the problems our democratic systems face in trying to control or improve bureaucracy.

The Office of the Public Guardian was created for the best of reasons following the 2005 Mental Capacity Act in order to administer a new Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) process by which people can lay down what should happen to them and who can make decisions for them if they lose the ability to decide for themselves.

Giving people more and clear control over their own lives is what government should do. Moreover, the OPG is, in theory, an accountable public body with annual reports, performance standards laid down by the Ministry of Justice and its operations open to questioning in Parliament.

But the reality of how it works also reveals the dark side of modern government.

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged , , , , , , and | 6 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • David Allen
    When political parties successfully resolve a problem by changing leader, they do it by identifying a person who stands for that change and promises to implemen...
  • Philip Broadbank
    Good to see I share my birthday with Lib Dem Voice! Happy birthday....
  • David Raw
    @ theakes. No....
  • George Thomas
    "Devolving more responsibilities means little if Wales isn’t given the funding.." In recent history we've seen Westminster refuse to put up the money in ra...
  • Denis Loretto
    At our Autumn conference once again a series of highly detailed policies covering pages of agenda will be earnestly debated and (mainly) passed. They will then ...