Mental health

Even if all relevant parties consented to the terms of the proposed statutory will, that could not be conclusive because the execution of a will for a protected person was a decision which had to be made by the court itself, and could not be entrusted to a deputy.

In determining whether to order the execution of a statutory will for and on behalf of a person who lacked capacity, the court had to act in that person’s “best interests”. That concept was explained in s 4 of the Mental Capacity Act 2005, which required the court to consider all the relevant circumstances and, in particular, to apply a structured decision making process. The concerns identified by the district judge were factors which the court could take into account when deciding whether to order the execution of a statutory will; and they might, in an appropriate case, lead the court to conclude that it should not exercise its power to do so. However, there