Information regarding numbers declaring insolvency and outcomes: FOI release

FOI reference: FOI/18/02433  
Date received: 10 September 2018  
Date responded: 1 October 2018

 

 

1. How many people in each of Dundee, Angus, Perth and Kinross, and Fife declared themselves insolvent in 2017?
2. How many of these went bankrupt, took on a debt relief order (DRO) or accepted an individual voluntary arrangement (IVA)?
3. Can you break this down by age? i.e. 16 – 20
4. Can you also provide statistics for each year since 2014? And include 2018 to-date?

 

 

I enclose a copy of most of the information you requested, detailed below and attached in an Excel spreadsheet. Note that while nearly all the information requested is available, for some parts of your request there will be differences in time period requested and availability of data at the local authority level. Further details below.

 

Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB) publishes statistics on all personal insolvencies in Scotland not just where an individual declares themselves insolvent. It is possible for a creditor to petition for an individual to be made bankrupt in addition to debtor application bankruptcies (Minimal Asset Process (MAP) and Full Administration). The following table shows all awards of bankruptcy by type and the local authorities requested for 2016-17 and 2017-18 financial years.

Please see table 1.2 in the attached document.

2.  How many of these went bankrupt, took on a debt relief order (DRO) or accepted an individual voluntary arrangement (IVA)?

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance AiB does not have the information you have requested. This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that AiB does not have the information you have requested.

AiB does not have the information you have asked for because DRO and IVAs are applicable to insolvency law in England & Wales not Scotland.

AiB does publish statistics on Minimal Asset Process (MAP) (broadly equivalent to DRO) and protected trust deed (PTD) (broadly applicable to IVAs.)

Data on MAP bankruptcies for the local authorities requested are shown in table 1.2 attached.

Data on PTDs for the local authorities requested is available on the AiB website, www.aib.gov.uk/about-aib/statistics-data/debt-solutions-local-authority (table 3 of the local authority tables). Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you.

3.  Can you break this down by age? i.e. 16 – 20?

The following tables show the percentage of awards of bankruptcy (debtor applications only) and protected trust deeds by age of debtor for Scotland between 2013-14 and 2017-18. Data by age is shown for Scotland as this is more representative of personal insolvency activity than if shown by local authority owing to the relative small numbers involved.

Please see tables in the attached document.

4.  Can you also provide statistics for each year since 2014? And include 2018 to-date?

The latest quarterly statistics on personal insolvencies in Scotland are available here: www.aib.gov.uk/about-aib/statistics-data/quarterly-reports. Data at the local authority level for the 2018-19 financial year will be available in September 2019.

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses