The Treasury is formally consulting the public on options to reform civil debt recovery in the Isle of Man.
Civil debt arises from a legal judgment where monetary disputes are resolved in court, and a debtor is ordered to pay a creditor.
A wide-ranging review of the current approach to collection of civil debt will cover all relevant legislation, organisational framework and procedures.
The process for reform is set out in an initial document which also asks for the public’s views on improving how civil debts are formally recorded and made accessible and the options for how they are then recovered by the coroners. This is the first phase of the planned comprehensive review.
Treasury Member Bill Shimmins MHK commented: ‘It is clear that the current framework and systems for civil debt recovery need to be updated and made more effective. Although various reviews have been undertaken over a number of years, it has proved difficult to find workable solutions to the underlying problems. The approach we are now putting forward builds upon the previous work undertaken but adopts a more structured and phased approach for reform.’
If proposals for change gain support in this initial consultation, they will require new primary legislation to implement them. Any draft Bill brought forward will take account of all the relevant issues raised and be subject to further full public consultation later in 2018.
Following this, the second phase of work will consider options for reviewing the current coroner structure, the duties they perform and the fees applied in recovering debts. The third phase will consider options for reviewing the Island’s insolvency framework and all related legislation.
The consultation can be found and completed at https://consult.gov.im/
To request a paper copy of the consultation, or to submit a reply to the consultation in writing, please use the following contact information:
Policy and Legislation
The Treasury
1st Floor, Government Office
Douglas
IM1 3PU
