Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has had discussions with the automotive industry on trends in the level of consumer debt accrued through car hire purchase agreements.

The government engages with a broad range of stakeholders such as the financial regulators, industry, debt advice charities and consumer groups to monitor trends in consumer debt and understand issues affecting consumers.

The Government currently provides a range of debt advice services through the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) to meet the needs of individuals in problem debt, including national and community-based services offering free-to-client debt advice. In addition, the Government’s ‘Breathing Space’ scheme provides eligible individuals protections from creditor enforcement action for a period of 60 days, giving them the space to work with a professional debt adviser to identify a positive and sustainable solution to their problem debt.