Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the safeguards within the Debt Respite Scheme (Breathing Space) available to creditors, including private landlords, whose debts are subject to a moratorium.

The Breathing Space Scheme was established to support those in problem debt engage with professional debt advice, or to receive crisis treatment for a mental health condition, by providing temporary protections from creditor enforcement action.

The Government recognises that these protections have an impact on creditors, including private landlords, and the scheme therefore includes a number of safeguards to protect creditor rights. Creditors may request that a debt adviser reviews a breathing space if they consider that an individual debtor or specific debt does not qualify for the scheme. Creditors also have the right to apply to a court at any time for permission to take enforcement action in relation to a debt included in a breathing space.

The Government keeps the operation of the scheme under review to ensure it is operating effectively.