Bankruptcy and Diligence (Scotland) Bill: island communities impact assessment - screening

Step Three – Consultation

Who do you need to consult with?

52. A mental health moratorium working group has been formed to focus on the practical application of the moratorium. Key stakeholders are members of the working group – these include representatives from the mental health profession. The working group's discussions will consider the resources available to implement the moratorium. One area for consideration will be the less densely populated parts of the country such as mainland rural communities and the islands. The Bill will introduce an enabling power allowing the Scottish Ministers to introduce regulations creating a mental health moratorium. The impact on the island communities and whether any additional consultation is necessary will be considered further as the regulations progress.

How will you carry out your consultation and in what timescales?

53. Meetings of the working group commenced at the end of February with members determining the number of meetings required and the total period of time necessary to reach their conclusions. The working group would be expected to conclude their work before the summer recess.

What questions will you ask when considering how to address island realities?

54. Establishing the current accessibility of mental health services is a key question for the reality of life in the islands. Data to be identified will include - what level of mental health issues are experienced per head of population in the island communities when compared to other regions of the country. In addition, how does this correlate with the data available on the debt levels on a regional basis?

What information has already been gathered through consultations and what concerns have been raised previously by island communities?

55. A public consultation was completed in October 2022 entitled 'Scotland's statutory debt solutions and diligence policy review.' Within the consultation the Scottish Government proposed a series of improvements to the statutory debt solutions and diligence from those recommendations.

56. There were no concerns raised either from the consultation responses or from any other previous stakeholder engagement about any undue impact the provisions would have on the island communities.

Is your consultation robust and meaningful and sufficient to comply with the Section 7 duty?

57. Not applicable.