Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015
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Disqualification of attorney | ||
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66. (1) An attorney shall, with effect from the date on which an event specified in any of paragraphs (a) to (c) occurs or, in the case of an event specified in paragraph (d), at the expiry of the period referred to in that paragraph, and unless the instrument creating the enduring power of attorney provides otherwise, be disqualified from being an attorney for the donor where the attorney is the spouse of the donor and subsequently— | ||
(a) the marriage is annulled or dissolved either— | ||
(i) under the law of the State, or | ||
(ii) under the law of another state and is, by reason of that annulment or dissolution, not or no longer a subsisting valid marriage under the law of the State, | ||
(b) a decree of judicial separation is granted to either spouse by a court in the State or any decree is so granted by a court outside the State and is recognised in the State as having like effect, | ||
(c) a written agreement to separate is entered into between the spouses, or | ||
(d) subject to section 2(2), the spouses separate and cease to cohabit for a continuous period of 12 months. | ||
(2) An attorney shall, with effect from the date on which an event specified in paragraph (a) or (b) occurs or, in the case of an event specified in paragraph (c), at the expiry of the period referred to in that paragraph, and unless the instrument creating the enduring power of attorney provides otherwise, be disqualified from being attorney for the donor where the attorney is the civil partner of the donor and subsequently— | ||
(a) the civil partnership is annulled or dissolved (other than where the dissolution occurs by virtue of the parties to that civil partnership marrying each other) either— | ||
(i) under the law of the State, or | ||
(ii) under the law of another state and is, by means of that annulment or dissolution not or no longer a subsisting valid civil partnership under the law of the State, | ||
(b) a written agreement to separate is entered into between the civil partners, or | ||
(c) subject to section 2(2), the civil partners separate and cease to cohabit for a continuous period of 12 months. | ||
(3) Subject to section 2(2), an attorney shall, at the expiry of the period referred to in this subsection, and unless the instrument creating the enduring power of attorney provides otherwise, be disqualified from being an attorney for the donor where the attorney is the cohabitant of the donor and subsequently the cohabitants separate and cease to cohabit for a continuous period of 12 months. | ||
(4) Subject to subsection (5), where, subsequent to the appointment of an attorney— | ||
(a) the attorney is convicted of an offence in relation to the person or property of the donor or the person or property of a child of the donor, | ||
(b) a safety or barring order is made against the attorney in relation to the donor or a child of the donor, | ||
(c) the attorney becomes an undischarged bankrupt or subject to a debt settlement arrangement or personal insolvency arrangement which is current or is convicted of an offence involving fraud or dishonesty, | ||
(d) the attorney becomes a person in respect of whom a declaration has been made under section 819 of the Act of 2014 or is deemed to be subject to such a declaration by virtue of Chapter 5 of Part 14 of that Act, | ||
(e) the attorney becomes a person who is subject or is deemed to be subject to a disqualification order within the meaning of Chapter 4 of Part 14 of the Act of 2014 by virtue of that Chapter or any other provisions of that Act, | ||
(f) the attorney becomes— | ||
(i) the owner or the registered provider of a designated centre or mental health facility in which the intending donor resides, or | ||
(ii) a person residing with, or an employee or agent of, a person referred to in sub paragraph (i), | ||
unless the person is a spouse, civil partner, cohabitant, parent, child or sibling of the intending donor, | ||
(g) the attorney is convicted of an offence under section 34 , 80 , 90 or 145 , | ||
(h) the attorney— | ||
(i) enters into a decision-making assistance agreement as a relevant person, | ||
(ii) enters into a co-decision-making agreement as a relevant person, | ||
(iii) has an enduring power of attorney or an enduring power under the Act of 1996 registered in respect of himself or herself, or | ||
(iv) becomes the subject of a declaration under section 37 (1), | ||
or | ||
(i) the attorney is a trust corporation and the trust corporation is dissolved, | ||
the attorney shall be disqualified from being an attorney for the donor with effect from the day on which the attorney falls within any of paragraphs (a) to (i). | ||
(5) Subsections (4)(c), (d) and (e) shall not apply to an attorney insofar as authority is conferred on him or her under the enduring power of attorney in relation to personal welfare matters. | ||
(6) Where an attorney becomes disqualified under this section, he or she, or in the case of disqualification pursuant to subsection (4)(h)(iii) or (iv), his or her attorney, decision-making representative or the court, as the case may be, shall notify the Director of such disqualification and the particulars relating thereto. | ||
(7) Where an attorney becomes disqualified, a relevant decision made solely by him or her after his or her disqualification shall be null and void. | ||
(8) Subsection (7) shall not operate to prevent a person who relied on a relevant decision referred to in that subsection from recovering damages in respect of any loss incurred by him or her as a result of that reliance. |