Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 64: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to change the law on debt enforcement arising from his speech to a Law Reform Commission conference on debt on 18 November 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13008/10]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

My speech to the Annual Conference of the Law Reform Commission on 18 November, 2009 was significantly influenced by the Consultation Paper on Personal Debt Management and Debt Enforcement, which the Commission had just published in September 2009. The Consultation Paper contains a very extensive list of provisional recommendations for reform of the law on personal debt. The Commission is aiming to have its Final Report available by the end of August 2010.

At my suggestion, the Commission agreed to focus, where possible, on proposals for publication at an earlier stage than the Final Report. A Working Group under the aegis of the Commission, consisting of a number of policy stakeholders, including my own Department and the Courts Service, is on course to produce an early report on such proposals by the end of April 2010. I can assure the Deputy that the Government intends that early action be taken by the relevant Departments, including my Department, on the reports of the Commission.