Bankruptcy (Scotland) Act 1985 CHAPTER 66
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Bankruptcy (Scotland) Act 1985 CHAPTER 66 ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS Administration of bankruptcy Section 1. Accountant in Bankruptcy. 2. Interim trustee. 3. Permanent trustee. 4. Commissioners. Petitions for sequestration 5. Sequestration of the estate of living or deceased debtor. 6. Sequestration of other estates. 7. Meaning of apparent insolvency. 8. Further provisions relating to presentation of petitions. 9. Jurisdiction. 10. Concurrent proceedings for sequestration or analogous remedy. 11. Creditor's oath. Award of sequestration and appointment and resignation of interim trustee 12. When sequestration is awarded. 13. Appointment and resignation of interim trustee. 14. Registration of court order. 15. Further provisions relating to award of sequestration. 16. Petitions for recall of sequestration. 17. Recall of sequestration. Period between award of sequestration and statutory meeting of creditors 18. Interim preservation of estate. 19. Debtor's list of assets and liabilities. 20. Trustee's duties on receipt of list of assets and liabilities. A ii c. 66 ° Bankruptcy (Scotland) Act 1985 Statutory meeting of creditors and confirmation of permanent trustee Section 21. Calling of statutory meeting. 22. Submission of claims for voting purposes at statutory meeting. 23. Proceedings at statutory meeting before election of permanent trustee. 24. Election of permanent trustee. 25. Confirmation of permanent trustee. 26. Provisions relating to termination of interim trustee's functions. 27. Discharge of interim trustee. Replacement ofpermanent trustee 28. Resignation and death of permanent trustee. 29. Removal of permanent trustee and trustee not acting. Election, resignation and removal of commissioners 30. Election, resignation and removal. of commissioners. Vesting of estate in permanent trustee 31. Vesting of estate at date of sequestration. 32. Vesting of estate, and dealings of debtor, after sequestration. 33. Limitations on vesting. Safeguarding of interests of creditors of insolvent persons 34. Gratuitous alienations. 35. Recalling of order for payment of capital sum on divorce. 36. Unfair preferences. Effect of sequestration on diligence 37. Effect of sequestration on diligence. Administration of estate by permanent trustee 38. "Taking possession of estate by permanent trustee. 39. Management and realisation of estate. 40. Power of permanent trustee in relation to the debtor's family home. 41. Protection of rights of spouse against arrangements intended to defeat them. 42. Contractual powers of permanent trustee. 43. Money received by permanent trustee. Examination of debtor 44. Private examination. 45. Public examination. Bankruptcy (Scotland) Act 1985 c. 66 Hf Section 46. Provisions ancillary to sections 44 and 45. 47. Conduct of examination. Submission and adjudication of claims 48. Submission of claims to permanent trustee. 49. Adjudication of claims. Entitlement to vote and draw dividend 50. Entitlement to vote and draw dividend. Distribution of debtor's estate 51. Order of priority in distribution. 52. Estate to be distributed in respect of accounting periods. 53. Procedure after end of accounting period. Discharge of debtor 54. Automatic discharge after 3 years. 55. Effect of discharge under section 54. 56. Discharge on composition. Discharge ofpermanent trustee 57. Discharge of permanent trustee. 58. Unclaimed dividends. Voluntary trust deeds for creditors 59. Voluntary trust deeds for creditors. Miscellaneous and supplementary 60. Liabilities and rights of co-obligants. 61. Extortionate credit transactions. 62. Sederunt book and other documents. 63. Power to cure defects in procedure. 64. Debtor to co-operate with permanent trustee. 65. Arbitration and compromise. 66. Meetings of creditors and commissioners. 67. General offences by debtor etc. 68. Summary proceedings. 69. Outlays of interim and permanent trustee. 70. Supplies by utilities. 71. Edinburgh Gazette. 72. Regulations. 73. Interpretation. A2 iv c. 66 Bankruptcy (Scotland) Act 1985 Section 74. Meaning of "associate". 75. Amendments, repeals and transitional provisions. 76. Receipts and expenses. 77. Crown application. , 78. Short title, commencement and extent. SCHEDULES : Schedule 1-Determination of amount of creditor's claim. Schedule 2-Adaptation, of procedure etc. under this Act where permanent trustee not elected. Schedule 3-Preferred debts. Schedule 4-Discharge on composition. Schedule 5-Voluntary trust deeds for creditors. Schedule 6-Meetings of creditors and commissioners. Schedule 7-Consequential amendments and re-enact- ments. Schedule 8-Repeals. c. 66 P ELIZABETH II Bankruptcy (Scotland) Act .1985 1985 CHAPTER 66 An Act to reform the law of Scotland relating to sequestration and personal insolvency; and for connected purposes. [30th October 1985] BE IT ENACTED by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:-- Administration of bankruptcy 1.--(1) The Accountant in Bankruptcy shall have the following Accountant in general functions in the administration of sequestration and Bankruptcy. personal insolvency- (a) the supervision of the performance by interim trustees, permanent trustees and commissioners of the functions conferred on them by this Act and the investigation of. any complaints made against them ; (b) the maintenance of a list of persons (in this Act referred to as the " list of interim trustees ") from which interim trustees shall be appointed ; (c) the maintenance of a register (in this Act referred to as the " register of insolvencies "), in a form prescribed A3 2 c. 66 Bankruptcy (Scotland) Act 1985 by the Court of Session by act of sederunt, which shall contain particulars of- (i) estates which have been sequestrated ; and (ii) trust deeds which have been sent to him for registration under paragraph 5(d) of Schedule 5 to this Act ; and (d) the preparation of an annual report which shall be pre- sented to the Court of Session and the Secretary of State and shall contain- (i) statistical information relating to the state of all sequestrations of which particulars have been registered in the register of insolvencies during the year to which the report relates ; (ii) particulars of trust deeds registered as pro- tected trust deeds in that year ; and (iii) particulars of the performance of the Account- ant in Bankruptcy's functions under this Act. (2) The Accountant of Court shall be the Accountant in Bankruptcy. (3) If it appears to the Accountant in Bankruptcy that an interim trustee, permanent trustee or commissioner has failed without reasonable excuse to perform a duty imposed on him by any provision of this Act, he shall report the matter to the court which, after hearing the interim trustee, permanent trustee or commissioner on the matter, may remove him from office or censure him or make such other order as the circumstances of the case may require. (4) If the Accountant in Bankruptcy has reasonable grounds to suspect that an interim trustee, permanent trustee or commis- sioner has committed an offence in the performance of his func- tions under this Act, or that an offence has been committed in relation to a sequestration- (a) by the debtor, in respect of his assets, his dealings with them or his conduct in relation to his business or financial affairs ; or (b) by a person other than the debtor in that person's deal- ings with the debtor, the interim trustee or the perma- nent trustee in respect of the debtor's assets, business or financial affairs, he shall report the matter to the Lord Advocate. (5) The Accountant in Bankruptcy shall- (a) make the register of insolvencies, at all reasonable times, available for inspection ; and Bankruptcy (Scotland) Act 1985 c. 66 (b) provide any person, on request, with a certified uoPy of any entry in the register. (6) The power of the Secretary of State to regulate fees under section 2 of the Courts of Law Fees (Scotland) Act 1895 shall 1895 c. 14. include power to prescribe the fees payable in respect of any matter relating to the functions of the Accountant in Bankruptcy. 2.-(1) In every sequestration there shall be appointed under interim trustee.. section 13 of this Act an interim trustee whose general functions shall be- (a) to safeguard the debtor's estate pending the appoint- ment of a permanent trustee under this Act ; (b) to ascertain the reasons for the debtor's insolvency and the circumstances surrounding it ; (c) to ascertain the state of the debtor's liabilities and assets ; (d) to administer the sequestration process pending the appointment of a permanent trustee ; and (e) whether or not he is still acting in the sequestration, to supply the Accountant in Bankruptcy with such in- formation as the Accountant in Bankruptcy considers necessary to enable him to discharge his functions under this Act. (2) A person shall be entitled to have his name included in the list of interim trustees if, but only if, he- (a) resides within the jurisdiction of the Court of Session ; and (b) is qualified to act as an insolvency practitioner. (3) The Accountant in Bankruptcy shall remove a person's name from the list of interim trustees- (a) at the person's own request ; (b) if it appears to the Accountant in Bankruptcy that the person has ceased to meet either of the requirements mentioned in subsection (2) above ; or (c) if, on an application by the Accountant in Bankruptcy to the sheriff for the sheriffdom in which the person is habitually resident or his principal place of business is, or was last, situated, the sheriff is satisfied that the person is physically or mentally incapacitated from acting as interim trustee : Provided that removal of a person's name in pursuance of paragraph (a) above shall not absolve that person, if he is acting as an interim or permanent trustee in a particular case, from continuing so to act until he has completed his duties in relation to that case : Provided also that, until the coming into force of section 2 A4 4 c.,66 Bankruptcy (Scotland) Act 1985 1985 c.