Over 1,000 sign petition for enduring powers of attorney reform

Since the establishment of the Decision Support Service (DSS) in April 2023, EPAs can only be created through an online portal which applicants must access themselves.

The Law Society of Ireland and the Dublin Solicitors’ Bar Association (DSBA) have criticised the new system but have failed to secure a government commitment to reform.

The petition, which follows an open letter published by The Irish Times, aims to build more pressure. The initiative has been led by Flor McCarthy and Martin Lawlor of the Solicitors Growth network.

It states: “Anyone wishing to have professional assistance in the creation of an EPA via a digital platform should be facilitated in doing so and is entitled to have their professional adviser access the system on their behalf to advise and assist in preparing what can be complicated and profoundly important documents with serious legal consequences.

“Revenue’s online ROS system allows a tax adviser to prepare and file returns for a taxpayer. The Injuries Resolution Board’s web-portal allows an agent to prepare an injury claim on behalf of a claimant. The Land Registry, the Companies Registration Office and others all do likewise.

“The DSS platform does not and that needs to be fixed urgently to allow people who want help from their professional advisers in creating an EPA to get it by providing professional advisers with access to the new online platform on behalf of anyone wishing to have their assistance.”

The full text of the petition and instructions on how to sign can be found on Uplift.ie.