Courts facing backlog of Ward of Court applications

Solicitors have recently been told that it will take eight months in order to complete the process, which is used to put the president of the High Court in charge of the welfare and assets of vulnerable people who are no longer able to manage their own affairs.

Dublin solicitor Dermot McNamara told the Sunday Independent: “In 2011, the timetable from submitting the initial Petitioner’s Application to the court, dealing with the court queries, to getting the Ward of Court order was around four months.

“We now have an application with the court for some eight months, but the Wards of Court Office says it cannot give us an indication when it might be heard as it has many applications waiting to be listed and is very short-staffed.

“If Ward of Court status cannot be granted in a reasonable period of time and a person needs nursing-home care, then no decisions can be made and the whole process grinds to a halt.”

A spokesperson for the Courts Service said staff resources were under pressure “as a result of the public service moratorium”, but more staff have recently been allocated to the Wards of Court Office.

The spokesperson added: “The increase in the length of waiting time has already stopped and, we hope, will reduce in the coming months.”