Chamber and committees

Good morning, and welcome to the 22nd meeting in 2023 of the Economy and Fair Work Committee. Agenda item 1 is a declaration of interests by each of our four new committee members.

First, though, I thank Jamie Halcro Johnston and Graham Simpson for their contribution to the committee and their work on our inquiries. I wish them well in their new roles in their new committees.

I am pleased to welcome Murdo Fraser, Ash Regan, Kevin Stewart and Brian Whittle to the committee. I invite Murdo Fraser to declare any relevant interests.

I will bring in Mr Mochan, as Katie McLachlan and Alisdair MacPherson have already addressed this subject.

Maggie Chapman mentioned the adviser; there is also a recommendation that there should be a form from a mental health professional that should be signed by an adviser. We are talking about capacity, and the recommendations are quite intense in relation to who needs to support the application.

Kevin Stewart has a supplementary question.

Alisdair, it is down to you.

Thank you.

Brian Whittle has a supplementary question.

Further to that, what is the current situation? You said that that has been confused by a recent case?

Thank you. Katie McLachlan, do you want to comment on the balance between statutory legislation and regulation?

I have a final question, which is about inhibition. The bill proposes to add inhibition to summary warrants—that they be linked. The Scottish Government plans to lay regulations to add inhibition to the options that are available for enforcement after a summary warrant, and the example that we have been given is around local authorities and council tax debt. Would you welcome inhibition being added to the list of options?