The Analysis News & Opinions
Opinion
‘Huge sigh of relief’ as Brexit talks progress
Last month, the European Commission made the announcement that it had recommended to the European Council to conclude that sufficient progress had been made in the first phase of the negotiations with the UK. It went right down to the wire, but
businesses will be breathing a huge sigh of relief
that the UK and European
Commission have reached agreement on phase-one issues, putting us in a good position going into the European Council’s next meeting. It does not mean the hard work has all
been done, far from it, but it does mean we are now very close to discussing transitional arrangements and our future trading relationship with the EU. The most pressing concern, for UK
companies, has been their EU staff, who have urgently needed certainty about their future in this country. As I write this, we have grounds to hope that our members will be able to send their employees off for the Christmas break feeling more comfortable about their status here. We call on the UK and EU to build on
this positive momentum going into the new year. It is overwhelmingly in the interests of both sides to begin working on our future economic relationship – particularly in order to fully address the Irish question. And we look forward to further clarity
about what the UK's objectives are for that new relationship, as well as a firm commitment on transition in the very near future.
Stephen Martin Director general, the Institute of Directors
Courts set for further online shift
Creditors collecting and enforcing debts though the courts will increasingly be able to interact through technological means, with testimony given by telephone and online, according to a senior legal figure. In his annual press conference, Lord Burnett
of Maldon, lord chief justice of England and Wales, said: “This is a £1bn, six-year project to which the government has given its commitment to bring courts and tribunals, and administrative practices, up to date. “It is quite remarkable that, towards the
end of the second decade of the twenty-first century, many of our courts still operate on paper-based systems. A digital case system has been introduced into the criminal courts over the last two years, which has already saved the need to print 33 million pages of paper. A parallel system is being rolled out in the civil courts. “Many routine cases in the magistrates’
courts – fare evasion, traffic offences and such like – are being dealt with online. This is really just the beginning. It is transformational and will make dealing with
Lord Burnett of Maldon
courts and tribunals – for individuals, firms, and lawyers alike – quicker and simpler.” He added: “Rather than virtual hearings,
these are going to be hearings enabled by video and telephone. I mean we have them already in many respects. Telephone hearings, in the civil courts, have been taking place, I think, for 20 years.”
Utilities conference
A conference for credit, debt, billing, and collections professionals in the utilities sector is set to return for its tenth year. The Utility Week Consumer Debt
Conference will be held on 27 February at the Birmingham Conference & Events Centre. It will aim to allow professionals to gain the knowledge needed to increase collections and decrease bad debt, hear policy and compliance updates from Ofgem and Ofwat, share ideas with utilities peers, discover how data can help drive customer
engagement, and find techniques to help to spot customer vulnerability. The conference will hear from speakers
such as Rob Mayer, head of collections strategy at British Gas; Audrey Gallagher, director of energy supply at Energy UK; Mark Field, head of billing and collections for Southern Water; Claire Moore, head of debt resolution at E.ON UK; and Michelle Atkinson, head of income domestic retail for United Utilities. l
http://events.utilityweek.co.uk/debt/
10
www.CCRMagazine.co.uk
January 2018
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