The idea
Scrap the Deposit Protection Scheme, or at least make it optional.
Why is it important?
The Deposit Protection Scheme is an unnececessary extra aggravation for decent landlords. The bad ones simply ignore it. It causes delays for the tenants in getting their deposits refunded at the end of a tenancy. It is extra work for the landlord both when he receives the deposit and when he wants to refund it. It doesn't protect tenants from unscrupulous landlords as they won't have bothered with it anyway.
I understand that it creates work/jobs/income for the agencies that operate it, so perhaps it could be kept as a voluntary scheme, giving tenants the option to use it if they have doubts about the landlord's integrity. Or giving the landlord the option to demonstrate his.