FOI release

FOI21/22-172 - Information about appointment of Liesl Cook as OR

Updated 14 July 2022

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/insolvency-service-foi-responses-january-to-march-2022/foi2122-172-information-about-appointment-of-liesl-cook-as-or

Our ref: FOI21/22-172

Date: 11 March 2022

Dear

Re: Freedom of Information Act 2000

Thank you for your email of 28 February in which you requested from the Insolvency Service:

  1. Is Liesel Cook an Official Receiver?
  2. If Liesel Cook is an official receiver, please supply documentary evidence confirming her status as such, and that she’s formally registered as an official receiver.
  3. If Liesel Cook is an official receiver, on which date did she become an official receiver and, if relevant, on which date did she cease being one (or if relevant on which date she is expected to demit office as an official receiver?)
  4. If Liesel Cook is the official receiver on Ms Michelle Young’s case, on what date was Ms Cook appointed to this role? If there is an official document that confirms her appointment to this role, please provide a copy.
  5. What are the duties and expectations of official receivers in the UK?

Your request has been dealt with under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).

I can confirm the agency holds the information that you have requested and I have provided answers to your questions below.

  1. Is Liesel Cook an Official Receiver?

I can confirm Liesl Cook is an Official Receiver

  1. If Liesel Cook is an official receiver, please supply documentary evidence confirming her status as such, and that she’s formally registered as an official receiver.

I have attached the most current certificate of appointment showing Liesl Cook is an Official Receiver.

  1. If Liesel Cook is an official receiver, on which date did she become an official receiver and, if relevant, on which date did she cease being one (or if relevant on which date she is expected to demit office as an official receiver?)

According to available certificates of appointments, Liesl Cook was appointed as an Official Receiver on 29 July 2013 and there is no planned date for her to cease.

  1. If Liesel Cook is the official receiver on Ms Michelle Young’s case, on what date was Ms Cook appointed to this role? If there is an official document that confirms her appointment to this role, please provide a copy.

The information you have requested is held by the Official Receiver for the purposes of exercising their statutory functions pursuant to the Insolvency Act 1986. Official Receivers, when exercising their statutory functions under insolvency law, are officers of the court, and not public authorities as defined by the Act nor are they one of the listed public authorities in schedule 1 of the Act.

In the circumstances of this case, the Official Receiver is not acting as either civil servant or on behalf of the Secretary of State and is therefore not subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

As such, the Official Receiver is not obliged to respond to this question.

  1. What are the duties and expectations of official receivers in the UK?

Information about the role of the Official Receiver, including responsibilities and duties can be found at Technical guidance for Official Receivers - 1. The Official Receiver.

If you are not satisfied with the response we have provided you and would like us to reconsider our decision by way of an internal review (IR), please contact our Information Rights Team at foi@insolvency.gov.uk or by post at:

Information Rights Team
The Insolvency Service
3rd Floor
Cannon House
18 Priory Queensway
Birmingham
B4 6FD
United Kingdom

You also have the right to contact the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) if you wish for them to investigate any complaint you may have regarding our handling of your request. However, please note that the ICO is likely to expect an IR to have been completed in the first instance.

Kind regards

Information Rights Team

The Insolvency Service

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Official receivers and the Adjudicator are Data Controllers in respect of personal data processed by the Insolvency Service. For the details about how personal data is processed by the agency, please see the full Insolvency Service Personal Information Charter here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/insolvency-service/about/personal-information-charter

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