Debt Awareness Week to highlight 'Britain's growing debt crisis' » Bill Payments » 24dash.com

IVA.co.uk, Britain's biggest online IVA community for information and advice about Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVAs), today announced the first annual Debt Awareness Week, to be held from January 29 to February 2.

Debt Awareness Week is being held to highlight Britain's growing debt crisis and encourage responsible lending, as well as responsible borrowing.

To publicise the week, IVA.co.uk will be holding a series of events and encouraging other organisations and groups to do the same.

Consumer groups, MPs and debt consultancies alike are backing the initiative.

Events planned for the week will be announced throughout January and updates posted at debtweek.iva.co.uk.

The major event will take place on February 1, as Canary Wharf plays host to the IVA.co.uk Great Debt Debate.

The debate, to be held at The Museum in Docklands, will be chaired by Peter Hobday of Radio 4's Today Programme, who will invite questions from the audience.

He will be joined on the panel by:

Melanie Giles, an Insolvency Practitioner and authoritative voice on regulation, having worked at the forefront of the insolvency industry for over 20 years; Vincent Cable, MP for Twickenham and regular commentator on government policy regarding debt; James Falla, debt expert and author with over 10 years experience as MD of a debt consultancy; A key figure from the banking world; and A university academic who will provide comment on the macroeconomic effects of Britain's debt crisis.

The 150-strong audience will be made of IVA.co.uk community members, press and the general public.

Held the day before the release of the Department of Trade and Industry's insolvency statistics for Q4 2006, the event is expected to have a high turnout.

An IVA.co.uk spokesperson said: "We hope that by launching Debt Awareness Week, we can open a channel of communication between consumers, banks and the debt solutions industry.

"It is hoped that our main event, The Great Debt Debate, will be a positive event for all involved, creating a forum for discussion between the public and those people who can really make a difference concerning key issues such as ease of borrowing, bankruptcy laws, and the regulation of the debt consultancy marketplace."