Insolvency Insights - Issue 10 | April 2022

• Published date: 04 May 2022
• Law Firm: Quadrant Chambers
• Author: Mr Thomas Macey-Dare

OVERVIEW

Legislation

• The last of the temporary measures introduced by the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 to help protect companies affected by lockdown restrictions during the COVID pandemic including the general moratorium on commercial evictions, have expired.
• The Commercial Rent (Coronavirus) Act 2022 has entered into force. The Act provides a temporary ringfence for certain outstanding commercial rent debts related to the COVID pandemic and establishes a binding arbitration process to resolve rent disputes that cannot be settled by agreement.
• Following the July 2021 Reforming Competition and Consumer Policy consultation, the UK Government has presented proposals to Parliament for the reform of the UK competition and consumer protection regimes. The proposals include amendments to the Package and Travel Arrangement Regulations 2018 to allow better flexibility for insolvency protection for non-flight packages, and better protection for pre-paying customers of suppliers of goods and services which become insolvent, including Christmas Savings Clubs and similar savings schemes not covered by existing financial protections.
• The Insolvency Service has published its first five-yearly report on the operation of the Insolvency (England and Wales) Rules 2016. The report concludes that the Rules as a whole are operating correctly and that they are achieving the goals that were set for them. It also identifies a number of issues requiring attention, including the Creditors' Voluntary Liquidation process and...