Legislating for personal insolvency in Ireland:
International developments and domestic issues
Venue: Radisson Blu Hotel, Golden Lane, Dublin 8 (behind Dublin Castle)
Time 8:30am to 4pm
Date 19 April 2012
This FLAC conference will feature distinguished international and Irish speakers and voices representing a range of local perspectives. It springs from the recent publication of a draft personal insolvency scheme together with FLAC's experience over 15 years of campaigning and analysis to reform Ireland's Dickensian laws on personal debt.
The event will look outwards to explore initiatives tried and tested in other jurisdictions as well as discussing the potential consequences of personal debt write-off in the Irish context, ahead of the publication of the government’s Personal Insolvency bill at the end of April.
As well as presentations from FLAC, an array of speakers will address various aspects of this complex issue, including Professor Jason Kilborn of John Marshall Law School, Chicago, who will compare and contrast European systems based on his detailed study of thirty years of consumer insolvency; Egil Rokhaug of Norway's Ministry of Children and Family Affairs, who will address two decades of Norwegian experience of including mortgage debt in its personal insolvency regime; and Melina Mouzouraki, an Athens-based consumer lawyer, who will elaborate on developments in the Greek 2010 debt adjustment legislation.
From the Irish perspective, the event will also consider the constitutional and economic ramifications of personal debt write-off with interventions from Professor Gerry Whyte of TCD Law School and TASC economist Tom McDonnell.
A diverse panel of Irish and international contributors will debate the future of personal insolvency in Ireland in an extended session open to questions from the floor.
The day will conclude with a reception for all attendees at 4pm. Lunch and refreshments will also be provided.
Attendance at the conference is free but numbers are limited so pre-registration is essential. If you wish to attend, please reply by phone to 01- 887 3600 (ask for Rebecca) or by e-mail to rebecca.tomkins@flac.ie before Friday 13 April.
A full conference programme will be available shortly at www.flac.ie. You can also read more on the website about FLAC's research into personal debt, including policy, analysis, legal information and campaign work.