Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish a list of the (a) public, (b) private, (c) self-regulatory and (d) other bodies which have regulatory responsibility for enforcing compliance with the insolvency laws.

Under the provisions of the Insolvency Act 1986, my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State recognises certain independent professional bodies, called Recognised Professional Bodies, for the purpose of authorising their members to act as insolvency practitioners. There are currently five Recognised Professional Bodies:

Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales;

Insolvency Practitioners Association;

Association of Chartered Certified Accountants;

Institute of Charted Accountants of Scotland; and

Chartered Accountants Ireland.

The Recognised Professional Bodies enforce compliance with insolvency laws by insolvency practitioners they authorise. The Insolvency Service, an executive agency of the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, regulates the Recognised Professional Bodies on behalf of the Secretary of State. The Insolvency Service also enforces compliance with insolvency laws through a range of powers exercisable against a Recognised Professional Body and directly against an insolvency practitioner.