SINGAPORE — While more have stepped forward to apply for the Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA), this is still some way off the Government’s goal, Social and Family Development Minister Tan Chuan-Jin said in Parliament yesterday, as Members of Parliament (MPs) called for more effort on this front.

About 23,000 LPA applications were received in the last two years, compared with 7,200 received over the four years before that, Mr Tan revealed. The LPA is a legal instrument that allows individuals aged 21 and above to appoint a person they trust to make decisions on their behalf should they lose their mental capacity.

Pointing out that the authorities are encouraging Singaporeans to take up the LPA, Mr Tan said: “The numbers have been increasing, but I would agree that the numbers are nowhere near what we’d like it to be, short of compelling it or making it compulsory ... I do ask for the (MPs’) support to encourage residents to do so. We’re doing as much as we can to raise awareness and that’s what we will keep on doing.” He said that the LPA Form 1 application fee for Singaporeans is waived until Aug 31, 2018.

MP Denise Phua said that families with members who lack mental capacity are still not aware of the LPA, while MP Lim Biow Chuan asked if it was possible to allow parents of children who are mentally incapacitated to make the LPA on their behalf.

Nominated MP Chia Yong Yong noticed that the application system was beset with unnecessary complexities such as people needing seals for forms.

Agreeing that the process of applications could be made more accessible and user-friendly for people, Mr Tan reiterated that the form was “an important legal document” and they need to strike a balance. The Family Justice Courts have simplified forms for deputyship application.

Another measure involved the setting up of a panel of professionals for the court to appoint deputies, on a pro-bono basis, in cases where low-income individuals have no family or friends to fulfil that role.

He also highlighted a pilot project where parents of students from the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled in Singapore are helped by various groups such as law students from the National University of Singapore, to prepare relevant documents. This will hopefully extend to more special-education schools.

On family members being allowed to make the LPA on their children’s behalf, Mr Tan stressed that this is best left to the courts to assess the family situation, since there could be complicated issues such as the family being abusive, for example.

Correction: An earlier version of this story reported wrongly that the LPA is the same as a deputyship order. Also, the Family Justice Courts have simplified forms for deputyship applications, and not LPA applications, as we reported. We are sorry for the errors.