Bankruptcy (Scotland) Act 1985

52 Estate to be distributed in respect of accounting periods

(1) Subject to subsection (6) below, the permanent trustee, until the funds of the estate are exhausted, shall make up accounts of his intromissions with the debtor's estate in respect of periods of 26 weeks, the first such period commencing with the date of sequestration.

(2) In this Act " accounting period " shall be construed in accordance with subsections (1) above and (6) below.

(3) Subject to the following provisions of this section, the permanent trustee shall, if the funds of the debtor's estate are sufficient and after making allowance for future contingencies, pay under section 53(7) of this Act a dividend out of the estate to the creditors in respect of each accounting period.

(4) The permanent trustee may pay—

(a) the debts mentioned in subsection (1)(a) to (d) of section 51 of this Act, other than his own remuneration, at any time;

(b) the preferred debts at any time but only with the consent of the commissioners or, if there are no commissioners, of the Accountant in Bankruptcy.

(5) If the permanent trustee—

(a) is not ready to pay a dividend in respect of an accounting period; or

(b) considers it would be inappropriate to pay such a dividend because the expense of doing so would be disproportionate to the amount of the dividend,

he may, with the consent of the commissioners, or if there are no commissioners of the Accountant in Bankruptcy, postpone such payment to a date not later than the time for payment of a dividend in respect of the next accounting period.

(6) Where the permanent trustee considers that it would be expedient to accelerate payment of a dividend other than a dividend in respect of the first accounting period, the accounting period, shall be shortened so as to end on such date as the permanent trustee, with the consent of the commissioners (if any), may specify and the next accounting period shall run from the end of that shortened period; and the permanent trustee shall record in the sederunt book the date so specified.

(7) Where an appeal is taken under section 49 (6)(b) of this Act against the acceptance or rejection of a creditor's claim, the permanent trustee shall, at the time of payment of dividends and until the appeal is determined, set aside an amount which would be sufficient, if the determination in the appeal were to provide for the claim being accepted in full, to pay a dividend in respect of that claim.

(8) Where a creditor—

(a) has failed to produce evidence in support of his claim earlier than 8 weeks before the end of an accounting period on being required by the permanent trustee to do so under section 48(5) of this Act; and

(b) has given a reason for such failure which is acceptable to the permanent trustee,

the permanent trustee shall set aside, for such time as is reasonable to enable him to produce that evidence or any other evidence that will enable the permanent trustee to be satisfied under the said section 48(5), an amount which would be sufficient, if the claim were accepted in full, to pay a dividend in respect of that claim.

(9) Where a creditor submits a claim to the permanent trustee later than 8 weeks before the end of an accounting period but more than 8 weeks before the end of a subsequent accounting period in respect of which, after making allowance for contingencies, funds are available for the payment of a dividend, the permanent trustee shall, if he accepts the claim in whole or in part, pay to the creditor—

(a) the same dividend or dividends as has or have already been paid to creditors of the same class in respect of any accounting period or periods ; and

(b) whatever dividend may be payable to him in respect of the said subsequent accounting period:

Provided that paragraph (a) above shall be without prejudice to any dividend which has already been paid.