Maeve O'Connell (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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1940. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth how her Department is working to improve the accessibility of the online power of attorney system (details supplied). [20861/25]

Maeve O'Connell (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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1943. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to update on her Department’s work to improve the online Power of Attorney system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20864/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1940 and 1943 together.

I thank the Deputy for their questions regarding the online application process for Enduring Powers of Attorney (EPAs) under the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act, 2015. EPAs are an essential advance planning tool, enabling people to prepare for a time when they may have difficulty in making certain decisions themselves. Ensuring accessibility and efficiency within the application process is key, and the needs of service users are a priority.

The Decision Support Service (DSS) has statutory responsibility for the operation of many of the provisions of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015, including registering EPAs.

Since the commencement of the new system of decision support arrangements in April 2023, over 2,200 EPAs have been registered by the DSS, ensuring that persons have the support structures of their choosing in the event of diminished decision-making capacity in the future. While these numbers indicate robust engagement with the new system, I am conscious of the accessibility needs of persons seeking to access supports, particularly persons with disabilities and older persons.

Both my Department and the DSS have, since commencement of the service, engaged with stakeholders to understand and address issues arising in respect of the operation of the legislation, including in respect of EPAs. This includes an Inter Departmental Steering Group that meets to share information and collectively address issues arising regarding the implementation of the Act. On foot of stakeholder feedback the DSS has implemented a number of changes to improve the EPA application process, to reduce application processing times, and to address the accessibility needs of the users of the service.

In that regard in July of 2024 the DSS introduced an Accessibility Policy which includes a dedicated EPA helpdesk service to ensure that individuals who require additional assistance in completing an online EPA application are supported in doing so. This enhanced helpdesk service, alongside helpful instructional videos and other guidance material provided on the DSS website, has already seen an increased volume of EPAs being registered, with over 1,800 (of a total 2,200) being registered from July 2024 to the end of March 2025.

It is important to note that there remains a facility for manual applications to be submitted by those who cannot, for a variety of reasons, utilise the online application system. The accessibility policy sets out that the DSS will ensure that individuals who are unable to utilize the online portal are facilitated in making an EPA application manually.

I encourage all adults to think about advance planning. Anyone requiring assistance in relation to making or assisting a donor to make an EPA is welcome to contact the DSS by phone at 01 211 9750 or by email at queries@decisionsupportservice.ie and its team will be pleased to help.