Question
196.
Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the outcome of protective certificates for personal insolvency arrangements to date in 2017; the number and percentage that were classified as yes vote/court confirmed, no vote and protective certificates expired respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45061/17]
197.
Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of personal insolvency cases commenced in 2017; the number that have been successful; the number that have failed; the timeframe to conclude these cases; the number of personal insolvency cases entered into the appeals process; the outcome of these cases; the time taken; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45062/17]
Answer
Minister for Justice and Equality (Deputy Charles Flanagan): I propose to take Questions Nos. 196 and 197 together.
The Insolvency Service of Ireland (ISI) publishes a quarterly statistical report, which is available on
www.isi.gov.ie. The Deputy will note from page 11 of the ISI's most recent statistical report, that:
- the number of new applications during the period in question (quarter 1 and quarter 2 of 2017) was 2,561 of which 2,226 relate to Personal Insolvency Arrangements.
- the number of Protective Certificates during the period amounted to 1,107 of which 956 relate to Personal Insolvency Arrangements.
- the number of solutions approved by Court during the period amounted to 587 of which 400 relate to Personal Insolvency Arrangements.
On page 7 of the quarterly report, there is an analysis of creditor acceptance/rejection rates. The following table is an extract from that report.
| Outcome | DSA | PIA | Total |
| YES vote /Court confirmed | 69.7% | 56.0% | 58.8% |
| NO vote | 7.5% | 19.4% | 16.9% |
| Protective certificates expired | 22.8% | 24.6% | 24.2% |
Since commencement of the section 115A court review process, there have been 632 applications (figures up to 20/10/17). The majority of these cases have yet to reach conclusion. A summary of those that have reached a conclusion is set out as follows.
| Outcomes from original S115A application | 180 |
| Reviews approved | 57 |
| Reviews dismissed (including 51 objections upheld on consent) | 97 |
| Reviews withdrawn by debtor | 26 |
| Outcomes to High Court Appeals of Circuit Court Decisions: | 18 |
| Reviews approved | 4 |
| Reviews dismissed | 9 |
| Reviews struck out/withdrawn | 5 |
It is not possible to state with accuracy the time taken to progress a review application, as each case is treated on its own merits, and is dependent on a number of factors, including whether any application is objected to by a creditor.