The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has responded to its Review of the Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations consultation.

The Review considered whether the fees recovered by enforcement agents and High Court Enforcement Officers should be uplifted from the level set in the 2014 regulations; whether more could be done to encourage payment without an enforcement visit being necessary; whether reform was needed of the High Court fee scale; and whether the costs of enforcement should continue to be borne by judgment debtors.

The Civil Court Users Association’s (CCUA) response to the original consultation can be found here.

The MoJ has now set out the reforms that the government intends to implement and consult upon. It says: “This package of reforms aims to ensure the sustainability of the enforcement sector, whilst tightening up the rules that enforcement agents and High Court Enforcement Officers must follow to ensure that people in debt are given more opportunities to settle the debt at the earliest and cheapest stage possible.” Read more here.