Please select a page from the Report Members of the Insolvency Practices Council Chairman's Report Review of Activities during the year Personal Sector Issues Commercial Sector Issues General Issues Future Plans Progress of Recommendations 2000, 2001 Recommendations Glossary Acknowledgments

General Issues

The recent creation of the centralised complaints clearing facility by the ACCA, the ICAEW and the IPA should help to remove confusion from the existing system. This is a major step forward in harmonisation and demonstrates a willingness to make self-regulation work. It is also pleasing to see that the three RPBs are meeting regularly to improve working relationships and long-term comparability. Harmonisation of activities has started and is sensible in many areas, particularly in the area of complaints and monitoring. There is no benefit in harmonising activities for the sake of it but a simplification of the processes would be a benefit for all parties.

The question of the numbers of regulators continues to be at the forefront of practitioners' attention. Several RPBs refer to it in their respective publications and acknowledge that it is probably the single most important issue for the public at large in relation to the insolvency profession. Rationalisation is generally well supported but will have to take into account the different circumstances that prevail in England and Wales, in Scotland and in Northern Ireland.

The Secretary of State continues to license some 133 insolvency practitioners (around 100
actually take cases). Its fees are currently £100 for three years but this anomaly is likely to end in December 2003 when a realistic market rate will be levied. The IPC is undertaking a comparison of fees paid by IPs to their respective RPBs.

The close working relationship with the JIC enables issues to be passed from one body to
another for independent opinions. Currently the IPC is working with the Joint Insolvency
Examination Board in the review of its examinations and the way in which it conducts its activities.

Following the passing of the Enterprise Act 2002 in November, the Insolvency Service is working on the insolvency rules and the IPC has been asked to contribute as the representative of the public interest in some of the process.

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