Decision Support Service sees significant public engagement across all functions in 2025

Politicians hear importance of advance planning at Oireachtas briefing

More than 10,000 arrangements now currently registered by service

The Director of the Decision Support Service (DSS), Áine Flynn, has published her Annual Activities Report for 2025, a year in which the service saw significant increases in numbers and casework across all its functions.

The publication of the report follows on foot of a presentation, hosted by Minister of State at the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, Emer Higgins TD, by the DSS to politicians in the Oireachtas AV Room last week on the growing impact of the service, which promotes the rights and interests of people who may need support with decision-making now, or who may wish to plan ahead.

The interactive briefing, delivered to key policymakers, TDs and Senators, highlighted the importance of advance planning for all adults in Ireland and emphasised the need to drive a cultural shift that normalises and encourages proactive decision-making about future care, preferences and supports.

The 2025 Activities Report reveals a significant increase in the registration of Enduring Powers of Attorney (EPAs), with 3,622 registered in 2025 compared with 1,413 in 2024. This brought the total number of EPAs registered to 5,073 at year end, with thousands more submitted for registration. Demand has continued to grow in 2026, with 2,353 EPAs already registered as of 30 June, highlighting the increasing uptake of advance planning arrangements across Ireland.

A new Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) helpdesk became a permanent feature of the DSS Information Services function, providing real-time, practical support to people making an EPA or seeking to learn more about the process. Queries to the EPA helpdesk accounted for 79 per cent of the total queries received in 2025.

Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley, said: ‘‘I am pleased to welcome the publication of the 2025 annual activities report of the Director of the Decision Support Service. It highlights the importance of the work undertaken by the Decision Support Service in ensuring that people with capacity difficulties are empowered to live the lives of their own choosing. 

A review of the operation and effectiveness of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) legislation will commence later this year. This review will be extensive and will be informed by information such as that arising from this annual report, and by those with lived experiences of the provisions of the Act."

The Minister of State with Responsibility for Disability, Emer Higgins, said: “The Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015, which established the Decision Support Service, marked a landmark reform in this country. It transformed the way we view capacity, modernising our approach from a best interests model to one that emphasises autonomy, equality and human rights.

"The work of the Decision Support Service is critical in ensuring that people who face difficulties making decisions are supported to exercise their legal capacity while maintaining their dignity and autonomy.

"As this activities report shows, the growing number of Enduring Powers of Attorney (EPAs) registered in 2025 reflects increasing awareness of the importance of advance planning. Through the continued work of the Decision Support Service, it is my sincere hope that we will see even greater engagement across all age groups, ensuring that as many adults as possible have a record of their will and preferences in place should they need to rely on it in the future.”

Chief Executive of the Mental Health Commission, John Farrelly, said: “The DSS has continued to grow in impact and reach since its launch in 2023, offering practical and legal supports to individuals who may face difficulties in making decisions independently, either now or in the future.

“The Mental Health Commission is proud to have established what is a groundbreaking and transformative service that is changing how we uphold and protect the rights of people across Ireland. As this vital service continues to evolve, it will provide assurance for people and families right across the country that their wishes will be recognised and honoured, now and into the future.

Mr Farrelly also noted that the DSS recently passed another significant milestone, registering more than 10,000 decision support arrangements in total.

“This milestone reflects both the dedication of the service and the growing public awareness of the importance of decision support arrangements, whether people need support to make decisions now or are planning ahead for the future.”

Director of the Decision Support Service, Áine Flynn, said: “2025 presented the first opportunity to compare two successive full calendar years of activity since the DSS began operations in April 2023, and it was a timely moment to present and discuss the progress achieved to members of the Oireachtas recently.

“As a new service, the strategic priorities of the DSS include becoming a leading voice in relation to assisted decision-making; and promoting and supporting assisted decision-making by embedding the DSS as a respected public service. 

“The outcomes achieved for service users in 2025 demonstrate that we are succeeding in the realisation of these priorities.

“Part of our mandate includes ensuring that all adults in Ireland understand and are aware of the advance planning arrangements available to them for planning ahead. Advance planning is the part of the Act that makes it an Act for everyone.

“It is particularly encouraging to see a 156 per cent increase in the number of EPAs registered with the DSS in 2025, compared to 2024. The marked increase in EPA registrations in 2025 relative to 2024 is a highly positive development, especially given the low level of uptake nationally, with only eight per cent of Irish adults having an EPA in place.”

In 2025, the DSS supported more than 43,000 queries through its dedicated phoneline, by email, post, and a new online portal queries function. This compares to just over 26,800 queries in 2024, its first full year of operation. 

These increases demonstrate the DSS’s commitment to embedding itself as an efficient and effective public service in Ireland, in what was only its second full calendar year of operation.

Also contributing to the increase in engagement with the EPA process was the DSS’s participation at Bord Bia Bloom 2025 as the sponsor of a show garden; a schedule of in-person advance planning roadshows in Cork, Portlaoise, Kildare, Mayo, Cavan and South Dublin; and involvement in dozens of stakeholder events, webinars and publications.

The 2025 Activities Report of the Director of the Decision Support Service was published recently as part of the Annual Report of the Mental Health Commission and can be accessed at the following link: 2025 Activities Report of the Director of the Decision Support Service.

View the 2025 Activities Report video: 2025 Activities Report of the Director of the Decision Support Service video.