Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1717853

registered interest
date	14/05/2024
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Debts
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	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.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
tabling member printed	Dan Carden
uin	26213
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2024 answer text <p>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. <br> <br>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.</p><p>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.</p> answering member constituency Hitchin and Harpenden answering member printed Bim Afolami question first answered 22/05/2024 15:54:25 answering member 4639 label Biography information for Bim Afolami
tabling member	4651 label Biography information for Dan Carden

1698601

registered interest
date	25/03/2024
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Debts
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the recommendations of Debt Justice's Together Against Debt Manifesto, published in March 2024.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
tabling member printed	Dan Carden
uin	20386
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/04/2024 answer text <p>The Government is committed to supporting people in problem debt. This is why at Spring Budget 2024 the Chancellor announced changes to make it easier to access a Debt Relief Order (DRO) in England and Wales.</p><p> </p><p>In May 2021, the Government launched the Breathing Space scheme, providing a period of protections from creditor enforcement action for individuals in problem debt. The Government Debt Management Function (GDMF) have also recently developed and published a toolkit to help public sector creditors identity and support vulnerable individuals.</p><p>The Government provides a range of debt advice services through the Money and Pensions Service to meet the needs of individuals in problem debt, including national and community-based services.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hitchin and Harpenden answering member printed Bim Afolami question first answered 17/04/2024 10:45:06 answering member 4639 label Biography information for Bim Afolami
tabling member	4651 label Biography information for Dan Carden

1696760

registered interest
date	18/03/2024
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Debts
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on trends in the number of people with problem debt; and if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of those trends.
tabling member constituency	Mitcham and Morden
tabling member printed	Dame Siobhain McDonagh
uin	18963
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2024 answer text <p>DWP Debt Management holds information on people owing monies to DWP (benefit debt recovery) but does not hold data on general, personal/household indebtedness.</p><p> </p><p>Problem debt statistics are published by the Office for National Statistics.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 26/03/2024 11:31:52 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	193 label Biography information for Dame Siobhain McDonagh

1679592

registered interest
date	05/01/2024
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Debts
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of household debt.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
tabling member printed	Dan Carden
uin	8109
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/01/2024 answer text <p>The Government regularly engages with the Bank of England, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) to monitor levels of household debt and their impacts.</p><p> </p><p>The Government remains committed to helping households that are struggling with debt to access the support they need and get their finances back on track. This is why the Government has maintained record levels of funding for MaPS to provide debt advice in England, bringing their debt advice budget to £92.7 million in 2023/24.</p><p> </p><p>We have also taken steps to support those on low incomes, who are vulnerable to debt burdens. In response to the energy crisis, the government provided one of the largest support packages in Europe. Total Government support over 2022/23 to 2024/25 to help households with the high cost of living is worth £104 billion – an average of £3,700 per UK household.</p><p> </p><p>A House of Commons research briefing on household debt can be found here: <a href="https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn02885/" target="_blank">https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn02885/</a></p> answering member constituency Hitchin and Harpenden answering member printed Bim Afolami question first answered 15/01/2024 14:21:44 answering member 4639 label Biography information for Bim Afolami
tabling member	4651 label Biography information for Dan Carden

1674228

registered interest
date	29/11/2023
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Debts
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk of an increase in unaffordable consumer debt, including credit-card debt, in the new year.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL741
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/12/2023 answer text The Government regularly engages with the Bank of England, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) to monitor personal finances.<p> </p><p>The Government remains committed to helping people in problem debt access the support they need to get their finances back on track. This is why the Government continues to maintain record levels of debt advice funding for MaPS to provide debt advice in England, bringing their debt advice budget to £92.7 million in 2023/24.</p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 12/12/2023 17:47:47 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1581772

registered interest
date	30/01/2023
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Debts
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a limit on the number of times creditors can contact people in debt.
tabling member constituency	Newport East
tabling member printed	Jessica Morden
uin	135151
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2023 answer text <p>The Government and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) expect financial services firms to take whatever steps they can to support and provide appropriate level of care to their customers. This includes offering tailored support to customers struggling to pay their mortgage or other loans.</p><p> </p><p>In June 2022, the FCA published ‘Dear CEO’ letters to firms and reiterated the FCA’s expectations on firms dealing with borrowers in financial difficulty. This includes expectations on firms to provide appropriate level of care and support to their customers; to give borrowers in financial difficulty appropriate tailored forbearance that is in their interests taking account of their individual circumstances; and to support borrowers showing signs of financial difficulty or struggling with debt, by making them aware of and helping them access money guidance or free debt advice.</p><p> </p><p>More recently, the FCA published findings from their comprehensive review of firms’ treatment of borrowers in financial difficulty following the pandemic and is taking action to ensure high standards.</p><p> </p><p>To help people in problem debt, the Government launched the Breathing Space scheme in England and Wales in 2021. The scheme gives eligible people in problem debt who receive professional debt advice access to a 60-day period in which enforcement action is paused and most fees, charges and interest are frozen.</p> answering member constituency Arundel and South Downs answering member printed Andrew Griffith question first answered 03/02/2023 12:32:41 answering member 4874 label Biography information for Andrew Griffith
tabling member	1548 label Biography information for Jessica Morden

1546518

registered interest
date	29/11/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Debts
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of the amount of international debt held by (a) private sector companies and (b) individuals registered in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Poplar and Limehouse
tabling member printed	Apsana Begum
uin	98930
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/12/2022 answer text <p>The amount of sovereign debt held by private sector creditors differs significantly across countries. Over the last decade, the share of sovereign debt held by different types of private sector creditors has increased relative to official bilateral and multilateral creditors, particularly in low-income countries. For example, a recent World Bank publication noted that at end-2020, low-and middle-income countries owed five times as much to private sector creditors as they did to bilateral creditors. According to the IMF, for the 73 low-income countries eligible for the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative, the share of external debt owed to the private sector increased from 10 percent of GDP in 2006 to 19 percent of GDP in 2020.</p><p> </p><p>As most private debt takes the form of tradable instruments, the amount of international debt held by individuals registered in the UK can fluctuate on a regular basis. Figures from the Office for National Statistics estimate that UK investors owned around £12,663 billion of investment in international assets at the end of 2021.</p> answering member constituency Arundel and South Downs answering member printed Andrew Griffith question first answered 07/12/2022 14:04:39 answering member 4874 label Biography information for Andrew Griffith
tabling member	4790 label Biography information for Apsana Begum

1536316

registered interest
date	26/10/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Debts
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the regional spread of household debt in each of the last three years.
tabling member constituency	Coventry North East
tabling member printed	Colleen Fletcher
uin	72287
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/10/2022 answer text <p>I refer the Hon Member to the answer that I gave on 28 October 2022 to PQ UIN71099.</p> answering member constituency Arundel and South Downs answering member printed Andrew Griffith question first answered 31/10/2022 14:22:48 answering member 4874 label Biography information for Andrew Griffith
tabling member	4378 label Biography information for Colleen Fletcher

1488076

registered interest
date	11/07/2022
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Debts
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of unsecured personal debt on the Government's levelling up agenda.
tabling member constituency	Wigan
tabling member printed	Lisa Nandy
uin	33769
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/07/2022 answer text <p>The heart of the Government's Levelling Up White paper is focused on building successful and strong places, which are more economically resilient by nature and able to respond to changing economic trends. Alongside this long-term plan, the Government is also delivering national measures to continue to help people in problem debt. Key initiatives include:</p><ul><li>Maintaining record levels of debt advice funding for the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), bringing the budget for free debt advice in England to over £90 million in 2022-23.</li><li>Launching the Breathing Space scheme in England and Wales last year. The scheme gives eligible people in problem debt who receive professional debt advice access to a 60-day period in which enforcement action is paused and most fees, charges and interest are frozen.</li><li>Developing the Statutory Debt Repayment Plan (SDRP), a statutory agreement that will enable a person in problem debt to combine their debts into a single repayment plan, with payments made over a manageable time period, while receiving legal protections from creditor action for the duration of their plan.</li></ul> answering member constituency Great Grimsby answering member printed Lia Nici grouped question UIN 33772 question first answered 14/07/2022 16:20:02 answering member 4851 label Biography information for Lia Nici
tabling member	4082 label Biography information for Lisa Nandy

1488084

registered interest
date	11/07/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Debts
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of (a) regional variations in and (b) which (i) regions and (ii) towns and cities have the highest personal debt levels.
tabling member constituency	Wigan
tabling member printed	Lisa Nandy
uin	33770
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/07/2022 answer text <p>To inform policy making, the Government is committed to understanding personal debt levels across the UK and at a regional level; it does this by drawing on a number of different data sources. This is used to help individuals manage their money well, encourage them to build their financial resilience and seek appropriate help if they need support with their personal finances</p><p> </p><p>Relevant organisations measure personal debt levels and define ‘problem debt’ in different ways. HM Treasury do not hold data on levels of personal debt or problem debt but monitors these measures regularly by working closely with the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), the Financial Conduct Authority and by engaging with the debt advice sector and other relevant stakeholders on their research and findings.</p><p> </p><p>The latest data on people’s personal finances were published by MaPS on 23 February 2022. MaPS monitors financial difficulty through an annual survey of 22,000 individuals. This includes a regional breakdown of how the need for debt advice changed since 2019 across the UK. The MaPS data shows that every region and nation of the UK has seen an increase in the number of people needing advice since 2019, and that the concentration of need is highest in London, the West Midlands and the North of England. The summary of their findings can be found in the link below:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.maps.org.uk%2F2022%2F02%2F23%2Fwho-needs-debt-advice-in-2022%2F%3Fmsclkid%3D79e864bcd13511ecbfe47637e6b4cf42&amp;data=05%7C01%7CThelma.Onofua%40hmtreasury.gov.uk%7Ce4f7a8682751485d619b08da659b4e9a%7Ced1644c505e049e6bc39fcf7ac51c18c%7C0%7C0%7C637934014947715714%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=cezcB6zeRAEzRQmmcBrQXJAopX9QIWlVNd6xRCENqEo%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Who needs debt advice in 2022? | The Money and Pensions Service (maps.org.uk)</a></p><p> </p><p>MaPS also intends to publish constituency-level results later this year.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Richard Fuller grouped question UIN 33771 question first answered 14/07/2022 16:51:30 answering member 3912 label Biography information for Richard Fuller
tabling member	4082 label Biography information for Lisa Nandy