§ Lord Burlisonasked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress has been made on Phase 2 of the Review of Civil Enforcement. [HL489]
§ The parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (Baroness Scotland of Asthal)I am pleased to announce the publication ofTowards Effective Enforcement, a Green Paper on the structure and regulation of enforcement and a single piece of bailiff law. It explores options for the regulation of all enforcement agents.
The Paper discusses what legal powers are needed to allow agents to do the job properly and proposes principles for the fees for enforcement and costs of regulation. It also examines the possibilities of improving access to information and making better use of information through clear, precise and limited powers.
The primary purpose of the Green Paper is to consider how best to achieve a fundamental improvement in warrant enforcement by opening up to public consultation a range of options and ideas for the future regulation of enforcement agents in England and Wales. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
A White Paper will be published in early 2002 setting out proposals for legislation in the light of this public consultation. It will also cover revised procedures for attachment of earnings, garnishee orders and charging orders arising from Phase 1 of the review. At that stage it ought to be possible to develop a practical structure for warrant enforcement service delivery.