Specialist Support Service
This year has seen an increase in demand for the Specialist Support Service which is provided by Advice NI with funding from the Money Advice Trust. The service responded to 117 queries from Advice NI and partner agencies including Citizens Advice, Step Change and members of the Institute of Money Advisers. Queries covered a range of complex issues including Bankruptcy, Debt Relief Order, Limitations Act, Statute Barred Debt, Unfair Relationship and Irresponsible Lending.
Throughout the year the Specialist Support Service ran Ask the Expert sessions with contributions from The Official Receiver on bankruptcy, The Financial Ombudsman Service, Land and Property Services and members of the legal profession. Benefits are twofold, giving presenters an insight into the complex cases money and debt advisers deal with and providing advisers with useful contacts. In conjunction with Housing Rights Service, Advice NI Specialist Support continues to provide opportunities for advisers to shadow advisers representing in court at re-possessions hearings.
Advice NI Specialist Support contributes to consultations as requested including Financial Capability, Financial Conduct Authority, and the research report Towards Financial Inclusion.
Business Debtline
This year Advice NI launched the Business Debtline (BDL) service in Northern Ireland with funding from the Money Advice Trust. The service provides tailored, independent and impartial advice for sole traders, partnerships and Limited Companies to help them develop their business finance capabilities as well as helping resolve any immediate business debt problems clients may need advice with. The service also ensures clients are aware of their rights and responsibilities with regard to their trade, various tax and personal debts.
Since the service went live on 1 June 2013 and up until 31 March 2014 the service has:
• Advised over 320 clients • Dealt with almost 1,000 calls • Assisted with over £20 million of debt
Advice NI conducted an impact report into the service in order to gauge how clients felt about the level of service they had received from BDL. A total of 68% of clients said they continued to trade following the advice they received, 100% said the overall quality of the service was excellent, they would rate the adviser as excellent and would use BDL again and would recommend it to others.
“We could not have managed without their advice and support – we have no means for legal representation or other fees/costs and it is great that BDL is a free service”.
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