Debt owed to the government, approximately £22.6 billion, originates from many sources including unpaid fees, taxes, fines and loans, ineligible benefits or grants and unrecovered costs from court cases.
A new company – Integrated Debt Services Limited – jointly owned by the government and TDX Group, an Equifax company, will provide a single point of access to a wide range of debt management and collection services for a number of government departments and the wider public sector in 2015.
The new company will use a range of proven and effective debt management services to support debt recovery and will launch with 6 customers – HM Revenue & Customs, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Home Office, Student Loans Company, the Legal Aid Agency and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.