Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Money and Health Policy Institute report entitled Debts and Despair, published in December 2023, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of instructing the Financial Conduct Authority to place limits on how often creditors can contact people in debt.

The Government wants to see fair treatment of individuals in problem debt, and there is a range of work underway across government and regulators to promote responsible debt collection practices.

The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) new Consumer Duty aims to ensure firms provide a higher standard of care to their customers. This includes that firms take reasonable steps to contact customers at a suitable time, taking individual needs into account.

The Government and the FCA will continue to work closely together to ensure consumer protections are fit for purpose, including through the upcoming reform of the Consumer Credit Act.