People at risk of violence will no longer have to pay to have their personal details removed from the Insolvency Register and the official public record.

The change, the government say, will mean the £318 cost ‘will no longer be an obstacle to their safety’.

Sarah Sackman KC, minister for courts and legal services, said: ‘Women who experience domestic abuse can spend their lives on the run. They deserve protection. The publication of victims’ personal details on the Insolvency Register must not be another tool perpetrators can use to torment their victims. This simple change can be the difference between a life of peace and one of fear. I hope that abolishing this fee gives some degree of relief to the people who need it.’

Sam Smethers, chief executive of charity Surviving Economic Abuse, welcomed the abolishment of the Persons at Risk of Violence Order fees when applying for insolvency solutions.

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She added: ‘Until now, survivors have been forced to pay extra just to stay safe and avoid having their names and addresses published on a public insolvency database. This blocked many from accessing vital insolvency options because the perpetrator’s economic abuse left them unable to afford the fee.

‘Removing this cost is an important step towards ensuring survivors can seek protection without taking on yet more financial burden when trying to resolve coerced debts.'