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A bank arrestment is a particularly harsh form of diligence, or formal debt recovery. Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) has been campaigning for change in this area for a number of years.

The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) service in Scotland offers assistance across the whole range of issues which affect clients. This puts us in a unique position to comment on the interaction between policy initiatives originating from the Westminster Government and those which come from the Scottish Executive. One such area is the interface between Westminster’s policy on overpaid tax credits and the Scottish Executive’s policy on helping people with debt problems.

With 81,984 enquiries about consumer-related issues brought to Scotland’s bureaux in 2003/2004, consumer scams are an issue clients and advisers are all too familiar with. Clients have been targeted with a number of sophisticated techniques, via post, email and telephone. The kinds of scams brought to bureaux range from the promise of prizes for the cost of a small claim fee, to the targeting of small business with fake information which demands fees for registration under the Data Protection Act.

While the majority of those who serve make a successful transition to civilian life, a significant minority experience challenging problems. While these problems do not differ considerably from those of the average person, it is the complexity and severity of these problems that are markedly different.

The Citizens Advice Service is a key component of the debt advice landscape in Scotland, providing access to debt solutions for thousands of clients every year. Bureau advisers provide the frontline advice that enables the debt relief system to work for debtors and creditors alike.

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) are broadly supportive of reform to the Scottish Tribunal System which incorporates and builds on the positive features of an accessible, independent, user-focused system.