Summary and Background
481.Section 71 primarily makes provision amending Parts 9 and 14 of the Insolvency Act 1986 (“IA 1986”). Part 9 provides the legislative framework for bankruptcy proceedings in England and Wales. The purpose of the amendments is to reform the debtor bankruptcy petition procedure for obtaining a bankruptcy order under the IA 1986 by transferring the procedure from the civil court system to a new administrative system. The reforms are intended to free up court resources to deal with matters which do require judicial input, and to improve the accessibility of bankruptcy by facilitating the introduction of a flexible, electronic application process for debtors.