Asked by: Yvonne Fovargue (Labour - Makerfield)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government has taken to support the establishment of the Enforcement Conduct Authority proposed by Centre for Social Justice; and when his Department plans to publish the results of its 2018 call for evidence on enforcement agent reforms.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Justice strongly supports the creation of the independent oversight body for enforcement agents and firms that has been proposed by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ). Officials have met regularly with the CSJ and the working group that is establishing the body to support its development. We will undertake a review of the body within two years of its operation to see if any legislative changes are necessary to place it on a statutory footing.
The publication of the response to our call for evidence about the enforcement agent reforms, which closed in February 2019, has been delayed as a result of the department’s response to the pandemic. That allowed us to refocus our priorities, which resulted, for example, in MoJ and DLUHC introducing an extended ban on enforcing evictions to prevent people being made homeless during Covid, so protecting public health and easing the burden on the NHS and local authorities.
We remain committed to raising standards in this sector and will publish the response as soon as possible.
Asked by: Yvonne Fovargue (Labour - Makerfield)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to introduce independent regulation of bailiffs to tackle (a) harmful and unnecessary bailiff visits and (b) bailiffs breaking the rules.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The Ministry of Justice is reviewing the implementation of reforms, contained in the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 and introduced in 2014, which govern how enforcement agents take control of goods. This includes considering complaints handling and regulation in the sector.
We have been focusing on our response to the Covid-19 pandemic, but we will provide a response to the review as soon as we are able.