Unleash the bailiffs

The government's 'Solitary State' plan says that creditors will be given the opportunity to circumvent the courts and go directly to a bailiff in order to regain assets from a debtor. The only proof a creditor will need are an agreement with the debtor and an invoice. Legal professionals have labeled the idea ridiculous.

"From a lawyer's point of view it is a shocking and dangerous idea," says Agnieszka Suchecka-Tarnacka, from the Hogan & Hartson law firm. "The method by which the government is attempting to take pressure off the courts is horrible. If such rules come into force I have no doubt they will lead to mass extortions, fraud and cheating."

From what experts say, there is no country in the world where a creditor can use a bailiff's services without a court order. In a few European countries it is possible, but there are some restrictions.