Lasting powers of attorney (LPA) are taking at least three months to register, according to new government figures.

Tom Pursglove, justice minister, confirmed that the time taken was more than double the Office of the Public Guardian’s 40-day target.

Nearly all LPAs registered this year (99 per cent) took more than 12 weeks.

The OPG must carry out checks on receipt of the LPA before issuing a notice, and allow four weeks for objections before the registration process can be completed.

Pursglove said OPG staff  had been working hard to reduce the Covid backlog.

In 2020 to 2021, the OPG processed an average of 53,000 LPA applications per month despite the many social and covid restrictions in place. This rose to an average of 60,000 per month in the last financial year, reaching over 70,000 in March 2022.

The OPG also hired extra staff, which is having an impact, with the number of LPAs being registered each month back to what it was before the pandemic.’

Last month the government unveiled plans to modernise LPAs and speed up the registration process.