Committee publication · Correspondence · 15 April 2026
Joint letter from Registry Trust Ltd, StepChange Debt Charity, and Surviving Economic Abuse in follow-up to Financial Inclusion Strategy inquiry, dated 17 March 2026
From: Treasury Committee
Inquiry: Financial Inclusion Strategy
Summary
Registry Trust Ltd, StepChange Debt Charity, and Surviving Economic Abuse write to the Treasury Committee following its Financial Inclusion Strategy inquiry hearing, urging reforms to how county court judgments (CCJs) are handled for domestic abuse survivors burdened with coerced debt. They propose adapting existing 'set aside' processes to remove CCJs from credit registers and waiving associated fees, citing evidence that 4.1 million UK women experience economic abuse and 1.6 million adults experienced coerced debt in 2024.
Key findings
- Economic abuse affects 4.1 million UK women; coerced debt affects 1.6 million UK adults, with 7% of victim-survivors surveyed left with a CCJ due to coerced debts
- CCJs remain on the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines for six years, damaging credit scores and preventing abuse survivors from accessing financial products needed to leave dangerous situations
- Government's Financial Inclusion Strategy commits to addressing credit file impairment from coerced debt, but practical mechanisms are absent
- Existing legal 'set aside' process could be adapted to remove coerced-debt CCJs from credit files, but current application fees (£313 individual / £123 via advisor) create financial barriers for survivors
- Registry Trust, StepChange, and Surviving Economic Abuse propose that Ministry of Justice and HM Courts & Tribunals Service collaborate on reforms incorporating coerced debt cases into set-aside procedures
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Dame Meg Hillier MP, Chris Dick, Sam Smethers, Peter Tutton, Mick McAteer, Registry Trust Ltd, StepChange Debt Charity, Surviving Economic Abuse
Notable line
“… of Judgments, Orders and Fines for six years, which negatively impacts victim- survivors' credit scores, and prevents them from accessing the financial products and services they need to leave a dangerous abuser and rebuild their lives.”
Key Quotes
“Economic abuse is a form of domestic abuse as defined in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, and the controlling and coercive behaviour offence set out in the Serious Crime Act”
“StepChange estimates that 1.6 million UK adults experienced coerced debt in the year ending November 2024, and their latest research found that 7% of victim-survivors they surveyed were left with a CCJ because of their coerced debts.”
“One way to do this would be to incorporate cases of coerced debt in the existing 'set aside' process.”
“For this to deliver real economic justice for victim-survivors that doesn't cause further financial detriment, it would also be important to consider waiving the fees associated with the application”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗