Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Key definition

Debtor definition

What does Debtor mean? In legal practice, a debtor is a person, company or other legal entity that owes a sum of money to a creditor under a contract, judgment or statute. The term is descriptive and used across civil litigation, debt recovery and insolvency, though specific legislation defines it for particular regimes (including the Insolvency Act 1986 and CPR in England and Wales, the Bankruptcy (Scotland) Act 2016, the Insolvency (Northern Ireland) Order 1989, and Ireland’s Bankruptcy Act 1988 and Personal Insolvency Act 2012). A debtor may owe a secured or unsecured debt. After a court order, they are a judgment debtor. Liability...

Tracing Debtors, Respondents and Children’s Whereabouts via Government Departments under FPR 2010 PD 6C (England and Wales): Applications, Procedure and Practice Points

Published by a LexisNexis Family expert

Practice notes

Where a Respondent (Debtor) cannot be located, enforcing an order becomes problematic. If nothing useful is known and no redirection address exists, information may be sought from government departments. This Practice Note explains when departmental data may be obtained to identify a debtor/respondent’s address, the steps for making an application, the relevant Family Procedure Rules 2010 (FPR 2010), SI 2010/2955—most notably FPR 2010, PD 6C and FPR 2010, SI 2010/2955, Pt 18—and summarises the details government departments require. It covers applications issued on or after 6 April 2022; for the Practice Direction that applied to applications issued before 6 April 2022, see the earlier version referenced there...

Application

On an applicant’s request, the court may ask government departments to disclose the address of a debtor who cannot be traced. The governing provisions sit within FPR 2010. From 18 January 2023, FPR 2010, PD 6C was replaced by a revised PD 6C for applications issued on or after 6 April 2022; for the previous iteration applicable to earlier applications, consult the pre‑6 April 2022 Practice Direction...

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David Salter

David Salter has enjoyed a varied career in family law with over 45 years’ experience. He served as National Head of Family Law at Addleshaw Goddard and, subsequently, as Joint National Head of Family Law at Mills & Reeve, retiring in 2018.From 1997-1999, David was Chairman of Resolution, also acting as the first Chairman of Resolution’s Accreditation Committee. He subsequently became President of the International Academy of Family Lawyers from 2010 to 2012, having previously served as the Academy's European Chapter President.He has sat in various part-time judicial posts since 1985 sitting regularly as a deputy High Court judge and Recorder in the Family Court until March 2022. He now conducts private financial dispute resolution appointments.David was one of the original members of the Family Procedure Rules Committee which framed the 2010 Rules, serving a ten-year term from 2004 to 2014.He is a...

Web page updated on 22/05/2026

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