IntroductionPublic GuardianOffice of the Public Guardian:nature ofOffice of the Public GuardianPublic GuardianOffice of the Public GuardianPublic GuardianOffice of the Public Guardian
20.1The role of Public Guardian, and the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) were established by sections 57–61 of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005. Before the MCA a similar role and office had existed but with a narrower focus. Today the Public Guardian is Alan Eccles, who has been in post since 2012. Full contact details for the OPG can be found in appendix G below.
20.2The OPG is an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice through which the Public Guardian caries out his statutory functions.
20.3The OPG has continued to see significant year on year increases in its work load. In 2015/16 the number of LPAs registered rose by 34 per cent and the number of deputy orders under supervision rose by eight per cent.
1Office of the Public Guardian Annual Report and Accounts 2015 to 2016.