Secret Courts Is This A Country's Doing?
By skysuccess
@skysuccess (8857)
Singapore
October 25, 2009 7:53am CST
This is by far the most appalling news coming out from U.K. and I am wondering if this true. So, to all the U.K. members, I would encourage your understanding and response.
How could the government allow this small court and high handedness?
Set up two years ago to act in the interests of people suffering from Alzheimer's or other mental incapacity. It is reported that it has since taken control of more than £3.2billion of assets. Just last year, the officials from the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) took £23million in fees directly from the bank accounts of those struck down by mental illness, involved in accidents or suffering from dementia.
Though the system elicited an extraordinary 3,000 complaints in its first 18 months of operation. Among them were allegations that officials failed to consult relatives, imposed huge fees and even 'raided' elderly people's homes searching for documents.
Yet, these complaints just seems to fall on deaf ears and this small secret court is still allowed to run?!
I really hope that this atrocity is not true. But if it is, I hope this news will prepare you for your family and yourselves.
Just what is the system and country becoming here? Is the U.K. I use to know?
Though the system elicited an extraordinary 3,000 complaints in its first 18 months of operation. Among them were allegations that officials failed to consult relatives, imposed huge fees and even 'raided' elderly people's homes searching for documents.
Yet, these complaints just seems to fall on deaf ears and this small secret court is still allowed to run?!
I really hope that this atrocity is not true. But if it is, I hope this news will prepare you for your family and yourselves.
Just what is the system and country becoming here? Is the U.K. I use to know?1 person likes this
1 response
@owlwings (43897)
• Cambridge, England
25 Oct 09
First, I wonder where this story emanated from. The OPG is a Scottish body (not a court) set up 'to supervise those individuals who have been appointed to manage the financial or property affairs of an adult who lacks the capacity to do so for themselves.' Perhaps you would post the URL of the site where you read the story.
Its purpose is quite the reverse of what you suggest: in other words it exists more to safeguard the funds of people suffering from various forms of dementia so that they are not ripped off by relatives, carers and friends.
The official site of the OPG is here: http://www.publicguardian-scotland.gov.uk/
1 person likes this
@skysuccess (8857)
• Singapore
25 Oct 09
owlings,
Thank you for your post as I am just waiting for the first response to post the reference URL which I had forgotten to post in my haste.
Anyway, it was reported in the Daily Mail UK and I think this is not emanated. I could not believe it as well, but after reading the whole account, I am just shocked.
Ref:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1222764/Secret-court-seizes-3-2bn-elderly-mentally-impaired.html
1 person likes this
@owlwings (43897)
• Cambridge, England
25 Oct 09
Thank you for posting the link. The Mail doesn't enjoy a particularly high status as a news medium here. I agree that the story, as quoted, gives a lot of cause for concern and I may well be writing a letter to my MP when I've done a little more digging.
I am always somewhat distrustful of stories like this which briefly quote some figures and then fill up the other three quarters (or more) of the article with 'selected' individual cases (which, of course, are always ones that pull the heartstrings and rarely truly representative).
I have bookmarked the story and shall look for more evidence on other, rather more highly-regarded sites! Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I'm not, at the moment, responsible for a relative's funds but my daughter works in Mental Health Care and may know more about this. Also, one never knows when one might be called on to manage someone else's finances - or may have to have someone to manage one's own!
2 people like this
@owlwings (43897)
• Cambridge, England
25 Oct 09
Here is how the Guardian handles the story. It's noticable that, although it's worded very similarly, the original report is credited as coming from the Press Association and the way that the Guardian has edited it tends to give what appears to me to be a more balanced and less alarmist account.
In case you weren't aware, the Guardian tends to take a politically Liberal stance while the Mail is one of the more right-wing papers. Both are generally critical of the current (slightly left-wing) establishment but the way they deal with the news is very different!
Here is the link for comparison: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/feedarticle/8772478
2 people like this
