Liaison

• v The Chairman addressed over 60 IPs at an R3, Association of Business Recovery Professionals, meeting in Bristol on the work of the IPC.
• Three members spent a day at the IS IP Unit at Birmingham examining the complaints procedures and files. They were impressed with the speed and fairness in which the staff dealt with the public at large. They were also introduced to the IVA register and the improvements planned by the introduction of the Crystal database. A meeting with the Assistant Official Receiver for Birmingham B to understand more fully the OR’s role in the increase in personal debt problems completed the day.
• Two members visited CCCS and Payplan to gain an understanding of their views regarding the new SIVA package to assist with the IPC response in September.
• Two members joined the “Meeting of Monitors” July meeting and were invited to take part in the discussions on current issues and their concerns about monitoring the growing number of IVA processing houses. There was a concern that there could be a conflict of interest between achieving ‘sales’ targets and giving best advice.
• The Chairman and a member spoke at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) insolvency conference in St Andrews;
• Two members attended the annual conference of the Money Advice Liaison Group in London and spoke to a number of the Money Advisers who populate the CABs around the country.
• Attendance at the half-yearly meetings of the Voluntary Arrangement Service of HM Revenue and Customs brings the IPC in contact with the corporate issues facing the payment of taxes.
• Two members and the Secretary designate attended the R3 Smaller Practice Issues Committee forum in Solihull in October.
• The Secretary has been in regular contact with the Institute of Credit Management, the Federation of Small Businesses and Citizens Advice.

Our aims for 2006 include to:

• make progress on our Recommendations on “best advice”, IVA statistics, IP communications and fees;
• respond to the IS’s consultations on the Memorandum of Understanding and the Principles for Monitoring;
• respond to the IS’s expected consultations on simplified IVAs;
• comment on the IS’s consolidation of secondary insolvency legislation;
• promote the need for a more harmonised approach by the RPBs towards monitoring, disciplinary and complaints procedures;
• discuss the operation of debt management companies with the Office of Fair Trading;
• visit the Institute of Credit Management to discuss its views on the insolvency profession;
• examine the regulatory issues relating to pre-packaged Administrations;
• explain the IPC’s work to regional meetings of IPs (visits to Scotland, Newcastle and the North West);
• contacts with the voluntary debt advice sector and the major consumer credit lenders as well as with the RPBs; and v understand better the working of the personal insolvency regime in Scotland

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