Appointment of Deputies for Persons Deemed to Have Lost Mental Capacity

Ms Tin Pei Ling asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) whether there is a common pool of deputies from which deputies can be appointed for persons deemed to have lost their mental capacity but who have no kin to rely on; (b) if so, how many are currently available and how can the application be made; and (c) if not, whether the Ministry will consider setting up such a pool.

Mr Tan Chuan-Jin: The Ministry recognises that there are persons who have lost their mental capacity and who do not have family members to serve as their proxy decision makers. To address this need, MSF started a pilot programme in late 2014, where we put in place a panel of volunteers who could apply to the Court to be appointed as deputies who could make decisions on behalf of these individuals.

To-date, 16 public-spirited professionals have stepped forward to be part of this panel. They come from a range of professions – healthcare, legal, financial and social work. MSF will assess the efficacy of the pilot programme before refining it for wider implementation.