Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 9 April 2025
243. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will provide details (as at 1 October 2024 and as at 1 April 2025) on the number of persons working in any capacity on the helpdesk to assist with the creation of enduring powers of attorney at the Decision Support Service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18050/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra244. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will provide details of the level of funding that was provided to the Decision Support Service during 2024, and any such additional funding that has been provided during 2025, for the purpose of facilitating the engagement of additional staffing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18051/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra246. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the plans developed to reduce the existing six-month time period that it takes the Decision Support Service to process an application to create an enduring power of attorney; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18053/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 243, 244 and 246 together.
EPAs are an important advance planning tool that enables adults to plan ahead for a time when they may lack capacity to make certain decisions for themselves, and provide a mechanism for their wishes to be respected and carried out.
Ensuring that EPAs are processed in a timely a manner is therefore a key concern for my Department as well as for the Decision Support Service (DSS).
In this regard I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the timeline from submission of an EPA to its registration has been reduced to three and a half months. This includes the five-week statutory notice period which, by law and as a safeguarding measure, will always apply. The majority of applications submitted to the DSS are created via the online portal, which can be processed more expeditiously than manual applications. The DSS keeps all of its timelines and processes under continuous review.
In July of last year, a new accessibility policy was implemented by the DSS 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, which commenced operations in September, 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 1,500 being registered from July 2024 to the end of February 2025, and over 2,000 EPAs registered in total.
My Department approved the establishment of the dedicated helpdesk for a period of 11 months. The total amount of funding funding allocated to the DSS in 2024 was €9.075m, from which overall allocation the temporary staff operating the helpdesk were funded. Funding of €10.438m has been allocated to the DSS in 2025, from which overall allocation the temporary helpdesk staff are being funded.
The number of persons working on the dedicated EPA helpdesk in any capacity as at 1 October 2024 and 1 April 2025 is 10.
My Department will continue to work in partnership with the DSS in respect of their resourcing requirements to ensure that services offered are user-centric and accessible, and that applicants are supported as necessary to make their relevant application. 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.
