Review of Scotland’s statutory debt solutions
Review of Scotland’s statutory debt solutions
In September 2019, Scottish Ministers committed to undertake a wide-ranging policy review of Scotland’s statutory debt solutions with the aim of further enhancing and improving our system. This was in response to a recommendation put forward by the then Economy, Energy and Fair Work Committee following their scrutiny of the Debt Arrangement Scheme (Scotland) Regulations 2019.
Stakeholders agreed that the review should consist of three stages. The following sections provide information about each stage and will be updated as the review progresses.
Wider review - stage 1
Stage 1 involved an examination of immediate priorities that could be taken forward during the Parliamentary session. It specifically looked at measures that would help address the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stage 1 concluded with the Bankruptcy (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 coming into force on 29 March 2021.
Wider review - stage 2
Stage 2 of the review was undertaken by three stakeholder-led working groups. Their remit was to look at the operation of existing statutory debt solutions and provide recommendations and options for improvement.
Each group produced a report of recommendations for the then Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth to consider. The reports and supporting documents are included below.
Wider review - stage 3
Stage 3 will involve a longer-term strategic review of the statutory debt solutions to assess if they meet the needs of a modern economy.
In September 2023, Tom Arthur, Minister for Community Wealth and Public Finance announced the appointment of Yvonne MacDermid OBE to lead stage 3 of the review.