Personal Insolvency Act 2012

Power of Insolvency Service to deal with documents.

175.— (1) Where—

(a) either—

(i) the Insolvency Service refuses to renew an authorisation to carry on practice as a personal insolvency practitioner, or

(ii) an authorisation to carry on practice as a personal insolvency practitioner is revoked or suspended under this Act,

and

(b) the Insolvency Service is of the opinion that adequate arrangements have not been made for handing over to another personal insolvency practitioner of any documents within the possession or in the control, or within the procurement, of the personal insolvency practitioner or former personal insolvency practitioner, as the case may be,

the Insolvency Service may, by notice in writing given to the personal insolvency practitioner or former personal insolvency practitioner, as the case may be, require the personal insolvency practitioner or former personal insolvency practitioner, as the case may be, or any other person in possession or control of such documents, to produce the documents, to a person appointed by the Insolvency Service for the purpose, at a time and place specified by the Insolvency Service in the notice.

(2) Where a person the subject of a requirement under subsection (1) does not comply or fully comply with that requirement, the Insolvency Service may apply in a summary manner to the Circuit Court, on notice to that person, for an order requiring the person to comply or comply fully, as the case may be, with the requirement within a period to be specified by the Court and the Court may make the order applied for or such other order as it deems appropriate.

(3) Where the Insolvency Service takes possession of documents produced under this section—

(a) it shall serve on the person by whom the documents were produced, a notice giving particulars of the documents and the date of taking possession thereof, and

(b) it may make such enquiries as may be reasonably necessary to ascertain the person or persons entitled to the possession or custody of such documents, or any of them, and may thereafter deal with such documents, or any of them, in accordance with the directions of such person or persons so entitled.

(4) Within 14 days from the service of a notice under subsection (3) on a person, the person may apply in a summary manner to the Circuit Court for an order directing the Insolvency Service to return the documents taken by the Insolvency Service to him or her or to such other person or persons as the applicant may require and the Court may make the order applied for or such other order as it deems appropriate.

(5) An application under subsection (2) to the Circuit Court shall be made to a judge of that Court for the circuit in which the personal insolvency practitioner the subject of the application resides or ordinarily carried on within the previous 3 years practice as a personal insolvency practitioner.