Minimal Asset Process (MAP) debt case breakdown: FOI release

Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.


Information requested

You asked for the following information:

1. The level of debts owed by individuals accessing MAP in 2018 e.g. a. under 5000, b. 5000-10000 c. 10000-15000, d. over 15000.

2. The breakdown for 2018 of the nature of debts owed by debtors on a MAP, indicating the different categories of creditor and amount owed.

3. The number of MAP files for 2018 which include 1. Local Authority Council tax debt 2. HMRC debt or DWP overpayments 3. Housing rental claims and 4. Claims by utilities.

Response

I enclose a copy of the information you requested, detailed below and attached in the Excel spreadsheet format you asked for. Note that all the information below is as at 04 September 2019.

Caution is needed when interpreting figures as the total figures presented here may not be consistent with the official, headline quarterly statistics. These figures here are based on data extracted from live databases at a different point in time.

1. The level of debts owed by individuals accessing MAP in 2018 e.g. a. under 5000, b. 5000-10000 c. 10000-15000, d. over 15000:

The number of Minimal Asset Process (MAP) cases by total debt level due to creditors for the calendar year 2018 is shown in the following table:

Table 1: The number of Minimal Asset Process cases by total debt level due to creditors: Scotland, calendar year 2018(1)

Debt level 2018
£1,500 to less than £5,000 273
£5,000 to less than £10,000 866
£10,000 to less than £15,000 746
£15,000 to less than £17,000 171
Total Minimal Asset Process cases 2,056

(1) The total figure presented here may not be consistent with the official, quarterly Scottish Insolvency Statistics publication. These figures are based on data extracted from live databases at a different point in time. The quarterly statistics are the definitive source.

2. Revised Table: The breakdown for 2018 of the nature of debts owed by debtors on a MAP, indicating the different categories of creditor and amount owed.:

The number of debts and total amount of debt owed to creditors in MAP cases by creditor organisation category in Scotland for the calendar year 2018 is shown in the following table.

Please note that the creditor organisation category is derived from the free-text data field and there is no pre-defined data category. Furthermore, this data field is influenced by human errors, including incorrect label and typographical error. Therefore, since the data collection and allocation is not consistent, caution is needed when interpreting figures here.

An error has been identified when data on the amount of debt owed to creditors was compiled. In the revised table below, the original and revised figures are included in order to assess the impact. We apologise for any inconvenience we may have caused.

Revised Table 2: The number of debts and total amount of debt owed to creditors in Minimal Asset Process cases by creditor organisation category(1): Scotland, calendar year 2018

Creditor organisation
category
Number
of debts
Debt amount
owed (£ million)
Number
of debts
Debt amount
owed (£ million)
Number
of debts
Debt amount
owed (£ million)
Local Authority Council 2870 -4.8 2870 4.8 0 0
Financial Lender 3060 -3.1 3060 3.2 0 -0.1
Bank 1893 -2.9 1893 2.9 0 0
Retails 1308 -1.5 1308 1.5 0 0
Government 798 -1.2 798 1.2 0 0
Sheriff Firms -522 -1.1 522 1.1 0 0
Utilities (including
communication)
-1237 -0.6 1237 0.6 0 0
Others -4486 -4.5 4486 4.5 0 0
Total -16174 -19.6 16174 19.7 0 -0.1

(1) Creditor organisation category is derived from the free-text data field and there is no pre-defined data category. Therefore, since the data collection and allocation is not consistent, caution is needed when interpreting figures here.

3. The number of MAP files for 2018 which include 1. Local Authority Council tax debt 2. HMRC debt or DWP overpayments 3. Housing rental claims and 4. Claims by utilities.

The number of MAP cases for the calendar year 2018 is shown in the following table, which contains the following broad type of debt category: Council tax; HMRC debt; DWP debt; Utility and communication debt; Housing rental debt.

Similar to the issue with the creditor organisation category as mentioned above, please note that the type of debt category is derived from the free-text data field and there is no pre-defined data category. Furthermore, this data field is influenced by human errors, including incorrect labels and typographical error. Therefore, since the data collection and allocation is not consistent, caution is needed when interpreting figures here.

Table 3: The number of Minimal Asset Process cases: Scotland, calendar year 2018(1)

Total Minimal Asset Process cases of which contains (2) (3): 2,056
Council tax 1,290
Utility (including communication) debt 939
DWP debt 484
HMRC debt 353
Housing rental debt 50

(1) The total figures presented here may not be consistent with the official, quarterly Scottish Insolvency Statistics publication. These figures are based on data extracted from live databases at a different point in time. The quarterly statistics are the definitive source.

(2) Type of debt category is derived from the free-text data field and there is no pre-defined data category. Therefore, since the data collection and allocation is not consistent, caution is needed when interpreting figures here.

(3) The sum of the constituent parts will not be equal the total because each MAP case may contain at least one of those debt.

About FOI
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.

FOI-19-02050 - Information Released

Contact

Please quote the FOI reference
Central Enquiry Unit
Email: ceu@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000

The Scottish Government
St Andrews House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG

Back to top