§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what are his proposals for monitoring insolvency practitioners in the future; and how unfit practitioners will be struck off.
§ Mr. Neil HamiltonFollowing discussions between my Department's Insolvency Service and the professional bodies recognised to authorise insolvency practitioners, the professional bodies have begun putting in place programmes for the routine monitoring of their practitioners. This work was previously carried out by the Insolvency Service, which will continue to monitor the activities of practitioners authorised by the Secretary of State.
In addition to the routine monitoring programmes, the professional bodies will continue, as previously, to respond to complaints about practitioners and carry out inspections of practices where necessary. The Insolvency Service will assist the bodies in the early stages of their monitoring programmes and is taking a close interest in the development of standards and consistency of approach in this area.
Each of the professional bodies has disciplinary procedures in place to deal with complaints about practitioners and there is a range of sanctions available to the bodies including withdrawal of authorisation where it appears to the body that the practitioner is no longer fit and proper. Similarly, the Secretary of State has the power to 250W withdraw the authorisation of a practitioner authorised by him subject to the practitioner's right to have the matter referred to the insolvency practitioners tribunal.