Bailiffs

Lord Campbell-Savours Excerpts

Tuesday 14th May 2013 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hanham]

My Lords, as I said initially, the local authority is entitled to come to arrangements with bailiffs on fees and whatever charges are made. The guidance will make clear what local authorities can do, but I agree with the noble Lord that anything that looks like a cosy arrangement between the bailiffs employed and local authorities is thoroughly undesirable.

[Lord Campbell-Savours]

Can we be assured that the fee structure would preclude the local authority making any profit?

[Baroness Hanham]

My Lords, the local authority’s responsibility is to retrieve the debt in any way it can. I think the noble Lord is referring back to the Question about what arrangements are made with the debtors who are going to collect those debts, financially. I have said pretty clearly that there will be very clear guidance on what they can and cannot do, and that cosy business arrangements are thoroughly unsatisfactory.