Martin Lewis writes to Cabinet Secretary for Justice Angela Constance: Make it easier for people in Scotland to use their Power of Attorney

Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com and Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, has today written to Angela Constance MSP, and Public Guardian, Fiona Brown, urging them to consider modernising Scottish Power of Attorney (POA). The letter has been co-signed by Austin Lafferty, former president of the Law Society of Scotland.

In the letter, Martin warns that the practices for verifying a POA in Scotland are outdated, with some people left with no choice but to visit a local bank branch to provide proof. In comparison, the process in England and Wales is often much easier, as POAs are commonly verified via digital access codes.

Martin believes that adopting a similar verification process in Scotland would make it easier and quicker for Attorneys to act on behalf of the people they care for.

The letter sent today, Thursday 5 February 2026, from Martin Lewis, in full, says:

Dear Cabinet Secretary and Ms Brown

I wanted to write to you as we believe people in Scotland are being sub-served when they come to use their Power of Attorney compared with other UK nations. This came to light most obviously in my podcast (September 2025), where listener Margaret told me:

″In Scotland why do I always have to get a newly certified copy of the Power of Attorney as banks won’t accept one certified more than six months ago? Why isn’t there a code system as in England?″

On the show was Austin Lafferty, solicitor and former president of the Law Society of Scotland. He agreed with this situation and is indeed a co-signatory to this letter.

Whilst there is no requirement for banks, healthcare providers, and other selected organisations to use access codes in England and Wales, it has increasingly become a widespread practice, with two million Powers of Attorney registered digitally as of April 2025. The codes allow an organisation to instantly view a digital summary of the Power of Attorney, cutting down on the time delays and inconvenience of getting hold of a paper copy.

I believe that introducing something akin to access codes in Scotland could reduce some of the stickiness that can arise during the process of trying to use a Power of Attorney. This letter asks you to look at doing just that.I’ve heard of examples of people in Scotland struggling to get their authority as an attorney recognised when they need it urgently to act on behalf of their loved one. This even includes the person with the Power of Attorney having to traipse into a branch to prove their identity when they are already known to the bank, and going through lengthy procedures to be able to make any progress.

This causes unnecessary stress for everyone involved, at what is usually an already stressful and vulnerable time for people. This can even include disabled or vulnerable adults who need their Attorneys to be able to make decisions about their finances and/or health. Our feedback is that this is often worse when dealing with financial services firms, which are slower to accept Powers of Attorney than local authorities and hospitals.

Austin and his professional colleagues find the system for creating and registering Powers of Attorney in Scotland to be excellent, but the onward use and interface with financial institutions can often be problematic. I understand that in the past Office of the Public Guardian Scotland has said it does not provide verification codes as they are not necessary for registered Powers of Attorney in Scotland. However, it seems to me that they could be a way to improve things for people in Scotland.

I urge you to bring in a similar system (or other efficient system) to England and Wales’s access codes – let’s make it easier for the people of Scotland who are already under difficult and emotional circumstances to put their Power of Attorney into use.Kind regards,

Martin Lewis
Founder and Chair, MoneySavingExpert
Founder and Chair, Money and Mental Health Policy Institute

Co-signed by
Austin Lafferty
Solicitor, former President of the Law Society of Scotland