FOI21/22-058 - The numbers of IPOs and IPAs started since 2011/12, and the total financial amounts collected through them
Published 27 October 2021
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Our ref: FOI21/22-058
Date: 24 August 2021
Dear
1. Re: Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Request
On 30 June 2021 you requested from the Insolvency Service:
“I would like information on the number of IPA/IPOs that are set up in personal bankruptcy going back 15 years. I am interested in the number of the agreements (so what percentage of people going bankrupt have an IPA or IPO set) and the amount the Insolvency Service collects through these agreements. I am not interested in the temporary arrangements to collect tax, just in the three year IPA/IPOs.”
The Insolvency Service wrote to you on 28 July (Ref: FOI21/22-045) and confirmed that not all information requested is held by the agency, but noted that:
“The Insolvency Service does hold readily accessible information on the numbers of IPOs and IPAs started since 2011/12, and the total financial amounts collected through them. However, these figures will include all payments including tax payments.
Please note that this data may not include all IPOs and IPAs where an Insolvency Practitioner was appointed as trustee in place of the Official Receiver.
If you wish to see this data, we can provide it upon request.”
You confirmed by email on 28 July that you would like us to provide the information held. Your request has been dealt with under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).
I have provided the information requested in the table below. The table provides annual numbers of bankruptcies that resulted in Income Payment Agreements (IPAs) and Orders (IPOs). IPAs and IPOs with only a tax component have been excluded as per your initial email on 30 June.
Financial amounts collected are also presented for concluded IPAs and IPOs where the assets have been fully realised. Amounts collected via IPAs and IPOs with only a tax component have again been excluded. Please note the following caveats:
- Financial amounts collected via IPAs and IPOs where an Insolvency Practitioner was appointed as trustee were excluded since the Insolvency Service does not record this information.
- Amounts collected via IPAs and IPOs with both a tax component and payment component were included as the Insolvency Service only holds information on total amounts for these cases and therefore it is not possible to exclude the tax component payments for these cases.
Table 1: Numbers of bankruptcies resulting in IPAs/IPOs between 2011 and 2020, excluding those with a tax only component, and amounts collected by the Insolvency Service from cases completed as at 3** rd ** August 2021
| Year of bankruptcy | IPAs/IPOs | IPAs/IPOs concluded | Amount collected from concluded IPAs/IPOs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 5,821 | 5,803 | £22,885,356 |
| 2012 | 3,919 | 3,908 | £15,572,669 |
| 2013 | 2,881 | 2,860 | £11,252,578 |
| 2014 | 2,480 | 2,453 | £9,201,142 |
| 2015 | 1,805 | 1,770 | £7,150,092 |
| 2016 | 1,968 | 1,823 | £9,033,392 |
| 2017 | 2,166 | 1,780 | £6,844,388 |
| 2018 | 2,393 | 838 | £1,823,567 |
| 2019 | 2,386 | 413 | £385,651 |
| 2020 | 1,422 | 133 | £77,853 |
Under section 16 of the Act (Advice and Assistance) you may find it useful to note:
The year presented in Table 1 above reflects the date of the bankruptcy order rather than the start date or conclusion date of the IPA or IPO. The start date does not necessarily fall in the same year and the IPA/IPO period before conclusion will not always be 3 years.For recent years, the amount collected will increase in the future, as more IPAs and IPOs relating to bankruptcies from these years are concluded.
The numbers of IPAs and IPOs presented in Table 1 may not align with our published statistics since data compiled excluded cases with only a tax component: Individual Insolvency Statistics April to June 2021 (gov.uk).
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 Commissioner's 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.
Yours sincerely,
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