Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to help people in debt as a result of interest being accrued on pay day loans.

The Government does not hold data on the trends in the level of interest charged by payday loan companies.

However, the Government believes that consumers should be protected from unfair costs in the payday lending market. That is why the Government legislated to require the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to introduce a cap on the cost of payday loans. This came into force in January 2015 and means that payday loans have a total cost cap of 100%, ensuring that consumers never need to pay back more than twice the sum they have borrowed. This cap also includes a daily interest cap of 0.8%, lowering prices for borrowers who pay back loans on time.

The FCA has also conducted a review of the cap. In July 2017 it released a Feedback Statement as part of its review of the high-cost credit market. This showed that the payday cap has been effective, leading to total savings of approximately £150 million for the 760,000 individuals using payday loans each year, and highlighted that many payday lenders lend at well below the 100% total cost cap. Overall, the review concluded that consumers pay less, repay on time more often, and are less likely to need help from debt charities.

More broadly, the FCA requires regulated lenders to treat customers fairly when they are in financial difficulty. FCA guidance sets out that firms should provide support through tailored forbearance options for borrowers which ensures they receive the most appropriate and sustainable support for the long-term, including payment holidays where these are in the interest of the consumer. On 25 May 2023, the FCA published a consultation on how it plans to incorporate aspects of this tailored support guidance into its rules. The consultation can be found here: https://www.fca.org.uk/publications/consultation-papers/cp23-13-strengthening-protections-borrowers-financial-difficulty-consumer-credit-mortgages

For people in problem debt who do need help, the Government continues to maintain record levels of funding for free-to-client debt advice in England, bringing the 2023-24 debt advice budget for the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) to £92.7 million. MaPS is the single largest funder of debt advice in England. It works alongside partners across the UK to make debt advice easier and quicker to access, and to improve standards and quality across the sector. In addition to this, the Breathing Space scheme which launched in England and Wales in 2021, offers people in problem debt a period of protection of up to 60 days on most enforcement action, interest, fees and charges, and encourages them to seek professional debt advice. As of May 2023 over 130,000 people have accessed the scheme’s vital protections.