These Regulations make changes to certain figures relating to diligence against earnings in Part 3 of the Debtors (Scotland) Act 1987 (“the Act”).

Regulation 2(a) increases the figure in sections 53(2)(b) and 63(4)(b) of the Act, used to determine the sum to be deducted from earnings subject to current maintenance arrestment or conjoined arrestment order, from £18.63 to £21.56.

Regulation 2(b) substitutes new Tables A, B and C for those in schedule 2 of the Act which describe the deductions to be made from earnings subject to an earnings arrestment.

These increases have been calculated by reference to the inflation rate for the period between October 2020 and October 2022.

In accordance with sections 49(8), 53(4) and (5), 63(7) and (8) and 69(1) and (2) of the Act, these Regulations do not apply to existing diligences until the Regulations are intimated to employers, unless employers choose to apply them. If they do not choose to do so the figures substituted by previous regulations will continue to apply until intimation takes place.

A Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment has been prepared and is available online at www.legislation.gov.uk.