To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost of an application to the Court of Protection was in the latest period for which information is available. (261954)

The average cost of a fee paying application to the Court of Protection between 1 April 2008 and 28 February 2009 was £390.00. This average is based on all applications made whether a fee was due, was exempted, or was remitted.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much money is being held under the Court of Protection. (261955)

Prior to October 2007, when a receiver was appointed by the then Court of Protection to manage the financial affairs of a person who lacked capacity, the court had the option of directing funds to be lodged into court. Those funds were held in the name of the Accountant General of the Supreme Court and administered by the Court Funds Office.

Since October 2007, when the Mental Capacity Act 2005 came into force, deputies appointed by the new Court of Protection have been able to choose to lodge funds similarly in court.

As at 31 December 2008 the Court Funds Office held approximately £3.2 billion of funds on behalf of Court of Protection clients.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how long the average application to the Court of Protection took to be processed in the latest period for which information is available. (261956)

Between 1 February 2008 and 31 January 2009, the average time taken to process a court application was 14.5 weeks. This figure represents all of the orders made and dispatched by the court during this period, including cases where the court decided the matter by holding a hearing attended by the parties.