The High Court Enforcement Officers Association (HCEOA) has welcomed a Government Minister's recognition of the value of the enforcement sector to the economy at this week’s Westminster Hall debate titled ‘Regulation of the bailiff sector’.
The Westminster Hall debate, which was sponsored by York Outer MP Luke Charters (Labour), took place at 11am on Tuesday 11 February.
Responding to the debate on behalf of the Government, Alex Davies-Jones MP, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Justice said: “The enforcement sector therefore plays an important role in supporting economic growth, funding public services and underpinning the rule of law.”
Alan J. Smith, Chair of the HCEOA, said: "It is refreshing to hear a Government Minister recognising the value that enforcement brings to society in this way. Whilst it is our CIVEA colleagues who play a valuable role in funding public services in the way the Minister describes, here in the High Court enforcement world we also absolutely recognise the three pillars she is raising, and the other two are central to our work.
He added: "Our members work on behalf of individuals and private sector firms to support them in a wide range of ways and supporting growth and underpinning the rule of law are at the heart of what they, and the enforcement agents working with them, do on a daily basis."
In bringing the debate, Luke Charters MP was keen to persuade Government to legislate for an independent regulator for the entire sector, a move supported in principle by the HCEOA.
The vast majority of enforcement firms working in the High Court sector are already accredited by the Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB) which provides independent oversight of the enforcement sector across England and Wales. Moving forward, there is no opposition from HCEOA members to statutory underpinning for the ECB, once it has been operational long enough to assess its effectiveness.
In order to be accredited with the ECB, enforcement firms must commit to meeting its requirements in four areas:
- Standards – compliance with the ECB's professional values and standards for enforcement work, and all applicable laws and regulations.
- Annual levy and periodic data returns – payment of the annual levy and providing the ECB with periodic data returns.
- Cooperation with the ECB – compliance with requests made by the ECB and allowing the ECB access to carry out monitoring visits.
- Complaints – compliance with the ECB’s complaints-handling process and any suggested remedies.
The British public also supports fair and effective enforcement. Last year the HCEOA commissioned an independent survey of 2,000 members of the general public. We wanted to better understand the public perception of enforcement and enforcement agents from people from across England and Wales.
