AiB reports sharp rise in diligence use
A sharp rise in the use of civil enforcement measures has been recorded by the Accountant in Bankruptcy in a new report covering the financial year 2013-14.
The AiB's Scottish Diligence Statistics show that the number of charges for payment served was up by 20% to 376,755 – 80% of these, or just over 300,000, for arrears of council tax or community charge. Other summary warrants were down from 15,437 to 12,471, but non-summary warrants were up by 44% from 44,519 to 64,048.
Diligence following summary warrants was nearly always by non-earnings arrestment (215,507) or earnings arrestment (136,322), with only 431 attachments and two money attachments. Non-summary warrant diligence broke down into 19,493 current maintenance arrestments, 18.283 non-earnings arrestments, 15,946 earnings arrestments, 1,354 attachments and small numbers of other forms of diligence.
The total number of instances of diligence (all warrant types) was up 11% from 377,957 to 418,250, though the use of inhibition fell, with 11% fewer notices of inhibition, and 25% fewer schedules of inhibition, while inhibition on the dependence was down almost two thirds (65%).