Scottish Courts and Tribunal Services debt collection pilot 2023
This Data Usage Agreement between HMRC and Scottish Courts and Tribunal Services for debt collection was approved and put in place in 2023.
Documents
Details
This agreement is published as part of the Code of Practice for public authorities disclosing information under Chapters 1, 3 and 4 (Public Service Delivery, Debt and Fraud) of Part 5 of the Digital Economy Act 2017.
The purpose of this pilot is to demonstrate the value of sharing Scottish Courts and Tribunals Services (SCTS) unpaid financial penalties data with HMRC to reduce and manage unpaid penalties.
The pilot share will enhance SCTS fines enforcement officers by providing information that may allow them to proactively engage with fine payers to offer them information and advice, allowing them to maintain responsibility for complying with any agreed payment plans. This will allow enable them to apply sanctions to deal with wilful default, allowing criminal penalties to be collected on a more timely and efficient basis.
The expected benefits are:
- consistency of approach to fines enforcement across all home nations
- improve fine recovery, including penalties due to victims or victim support organisations
- improved public confidence in the use of financial penalties as a deterrent to crime
- reduced debt owed to government, including compensation awards made to HMRC following successful prosecutions
- improved support to fine payers
- increased efficiency and reduced enforcement costs
- reduced number of fines enquiry hearings and arrest warrants, meeting a key policy objective of minimising police and court involvement in the fines process