Extended temporary Insolvency Practice Direction – approved and signed by the Lord Chancellor

Insolvency and Companies ListPractice Direction

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The Lord Chancellor, the Right Honourable Robert Buckland MP, Secretary of State for Justice, has approved and signed a temporary Insolvency Practice Direction (TIPD) which came into force on 2 October 2020.

It replaces and extends the previous TIPD, which expired on 1 October 2020. While the opportunity has been taken to clarify the wording of the previous TIPD in light of developing court practice during the pandemic, there is no substantive change to the procedures that are currently being followed for insolvency hearings and none at all for the provisions in relation to administration appointments and statutory declarations.

Its purpose remains to assist court users during the continuing COVID-19 pandemic by avoiding the need for parties to attend court in person, and to deal with some of the problems arising from the need for the court(s) to operate with limited staff and resources. It continues to supplement the Practice Direction – Insolvency Proceedings July 2018 (opens in a new tab) and applies to all insolvency proceedings in the Business and Property Courts subject to variations outside London as directed by the relevant supervising judge. Company work will be dealt with in a comparable way, and all adjourned hearings will be relisted within six weeks.

The revised temporary IPD has been drafted by Mr Justice Zacaroli, chair of the Insolvency Rules Committee, with Chief ICCJ Briggs and Mr Justice Snowden, both insolvency specialists. The final draft was approved and signed by the Chancellor of the High Court, Sir Geoffrey Vos, before being sent to the Lord Chancellor for approval.

A PDF version of the Practice Direction is available below.