asked the Attorney-General (1) what action has been taken to implement the recommendations, in 1969, of the Payne Commission on the enforcement of judgment debt which concluded that distress for rent should be abolished:(2) what action has been taken by the Government following the publication, in 1966, of the Law Commission interim report on distress for rent which recommended that distress for rent without the leave of court should be abolished.

Several recommendations of the Payne Report (Cmnd. 3909) have already been implemented. The recommendation to abolish distress for rent, however, is conditional upon the establishment of an integrated enforcement system. There is no early prospect of establishing such a system, having regard in particular to the resources now available. Leave of the court to levy distress on premises subject to the Rent Acts is already required. The Government have no present plans to extend this requirement.