Chamber and committees

Transparency might not be so much for the debtor, in this particular case.

At the moment, even if the amount in an account was very small, would banks not advise the creditors about the account anyway?

I will move on to information disclosure orders. The power to make regulations in relation to information disclosure orders is legislated for already in the Bankruptcy and Diligence etc (Scotland) Act 2007. That power has not been utilised, but the Scottish Government is now proposing to take that forward. The intention is that creditors would be able to seek information about a debtor’s assets from third parties. It is argued that that will improve transparency so that creditors can identify who can pay and so forth.

There are recommendations about how information disclosure orders could work in practice, and there would be a requirement for the creditor to use some sort of agent—perhaps a solicitor or sheriff officer. However, the debtor would not be informed of the action, in case they moved their assets, so it would be done in the background. Initially, disclosure orders would cover only private bodies rather than public sector bodies. It seems strange to me that it would not include public sector bodies, because that would seem to be quite a wide area that is not being tapped into. What are your views on including public sector bodies and the appropriateness of implementing that power?

I will give Barry Mochan another chance to come in.

Katie, is there any chance that you can answer that?

Alisdair MacPherson, welcome back. [Laughter.]

So, the network has performed a key role informally.

Is it fair to say that the unsatisfactory governance that the Auditor General has highlighted no longer exists?

I just want to put something in here. The Auditor General’s report also identified key challenges in workforce capacity and capability, and said that climate change is competing with other areas for funding and staff. How are you addressing that?

Again, I am conscious of the time, but let me briefly ask you about the Auditor General’s report. The report talks about the Cabinet sub-committee on the climate emergency and states that the role of the Cabinet sub-committee is “unclear”. What role does the Cabinet sub-committee play in the Scottish Government’s governance and risk arrangements for net zero targets and adaptation outcomes?

Can you summarise in a very brief sentence what its key function is?