Official Report 218KB pdf
The next item of business is a statement by Jenny Gilruth on supporting victims of domestic abuse—taking action to support those affected by council tax debt. Questions will be taken at the end of the statement, so there should be no interventions or interruptions.
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Every day, on average, 204 women and girls across Scotland will be subjected to violent attacks. Police Scotland’s figures show a 7.6 per cent increase in violent crime directed at women when compared with the figures for the previous year. Some 74,494 reports were made to Police Scotland in 2025-26. The crimes most commonly committed against women are common assault, threatening or abusive behaviour, and rape.
Police Scotland describes around half of those incidents as domestic incidents involving a partner or a former partner. That means that the people women love and trust are also the ones most likely to turn against them. That thread between trust and terror is fine in nature. It is a thread between love and fear—opposing forces that often create an environment in which abuse can flourish. We need only listen to the brave testimony of the women who have come forward to speak to the press in recent weeks to understand the enormity of the stress of living with domestic abuse and how it can eat away at a person to the extent that they become utterly powerless.
Many of those women are living in abject terror. All around them, their power may have been stolen away, perhaps in small ways at first: a credit card is not in their name, debts are mounting not as a result of their own spending, and there is coercive action, which, today, we all understand to be a form of domestic abuse. Economic abuse is a deliberately used tool of control that restricts a person’s freedom and independence. It causes lasting harm, often well after a survivor has managed to flee.
The state has a clear role to play in responding to the epidemic of male violence that is directed towards women. In our communities, our public services should support recovery. The way in which such services operate should not make life harder for survivors who are seeking to escape.
The Scottish Government recognises that imposing joint and several liability for council tax can create serious and unfair consequences for survivors of domestic abuse. That is why, last year, we supported an amendment to the Housing (Scotland) Bill to require a dedicated review of the impact that the rules on such liability can have on a person who has experienced domestic abuse. The review involved engagement with local government, third sector organisations and others with direct experience of supporting survivors. Their evidence highlighted the ways in which financial liabilities can continue to affect survivors long after an abusive relationship has ended, and it demonstrated the need for further action.
Joint and several liability plays an important role in ensuring that council tax debts can be recorded and that local services continue to be funded effectively. However, the current system does not always operate fairly or proportionately for victims/survivors of domestic abuse. Although some local councils have developed sensitive and supportive approaches, we know that such practice is not consistent across Scotland. Fundamentally, the availability of support for victims should not depend on where they live. Public services must respond fairly, consistently and compassionately when supporting victims/survivors of domestic abuse. It is the role of Government to ensure consistency on that across the country.
This month, Scotland will join countries around the world during the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, and the Scottish Government will renew our commitment to end violence against women and girls. Today, therefore, I am setting out the actions that the Scottish Government will take following our review on the impact of joint and several liability on those who have experienced domestic abuse.
In early 2027, the Government will consult on a package of reforms to ensure that survivors of domestic abuse are not unfairly burdened by council tax debt or water and sewerage charges debt. Central to that will be the creation of a statutory exception to joint and several liability for victims/survivors of domestic abuse. Exceptions to the principle of joint and several liability already exist for students and other groups, but the new exception will break the victim/survivor’s financial association with their abuser. They will be liable for only their own share of the outstanding debt and not jointly with their abuser for the full amount. They will also be able to seek support from their local council in reducing that remaining liability or, indeed, removing it entirely.
The Government is already engaged in dialogue with local government and other partners, and we will continue to work together to develop detailed guidance to support local councils in delivering the exception. It is incumbent on all members to redouble our efforts to end all forms of violence against women and girls. Although no single reform to the council tax system can fully address the impact of economic abuse, this exception will help to ensure that survivors of domestic abuse are not left carrying an unfair burden arising from coercion and control long after they have escaped an abusive relationship.
The Government will also consult on easing council tax reduction backdating rules to further support victims/survivors of domestic abuse. I know that current thresholds can create real difficulties for survivors where, in the past, they were prevented from managing household finances or even applying for support. Increasing or removing those existing backdating limits will help to ensure that those who were unable to claim at the time can still access the support that they missed and to reduce council tax debt that might have accumulated as a result.
The Government is also focused on supporting people who find themselves in difficult circumstances and on making life easier for them wherever we can. Therefore, alongside the planned reforms, which are very much focused on supporting victims/survivors of domestic abuse, we are taking action now so that we can help more households.
During the review, a consistent message from stakeholders was that debt enforcement action begins too quickly once a council tax payment is missed. The current system escalates too quickly. People can lose the right to pay by instalments, becoming liable for their full annual bill and facing enforcement action within a very short period. That must change, and the Government is taking action now to ensure that it will. From 1 April next year, when a council taxpayer has missed one payment, they will not be subjected to enforcement action until 63 days after that missed instalment.
Let me be clear that this change is not about avoiding responsibility for paying council tax. Local councils will continue to have the powers necessary to recover debts from those who can pay but choose not to. The change is about extending the current period from 14 days to 63 days, which will provide vital breathing space for those facing financial hardship, including survivors of domestic abuse who are trying to leave or recover from an abusive relationship.
Indeed, Citizens Advice Scotland has welcomed that as a crucial step for people who are struggling to pay their council tax, giving them much-needed time to get advice and support. I know that financial difficulties can arise for many different reasons, including sudden changes in income, ill health, caring responsibilities or even relationship breakdown. By slowing down that escalation process, we can help to prevent temporary financial pressures from becoming long-term debt problems.
We also recognise that other improvements could be made to how council tax and water and sewerage charge debt are collected, which would benefit everyone in Scotland. In particular, we need to examine whether the period during which council tax debt can be pursued remains appropriate. The public consultation that I have announced for 2027 will therefore gather more evidence on the prescription period in Scotland. The 20-year period is arguably not working in the way that it should, and we also need to consider administration and enforcement issues. A much broader consideration of current arrangements will help us to identify where stronger and more consistent standards are needed and to ensure that Scotland’s local taxation system is both fair and effective.
Domestic abuse has no place in Scotland, and women and girls have the right to be free from all forms of violence, yet we know that, by the end of today, on average, 200 women and girls will have been the victims of violent attacks. The epidemic of male violence towards women and girls requires a commensurate response from Government. The measures that I have outlined are, therefore, part of a wider programme of action. Taken together, these reforms represent a significant step in delivering a more compassionate council tax system. They recognise that the effects of abuse do not end when a person leaves an abusive relationship, and that Government has a responsibility to ensure that our policies and services do not inadvertently prolong that harm.
These changes will not, on their own, eliminate economic abuse or remove all the barriers that survivors face. However, they will help to reduce unfair financial burdens and ensure that women can move forward with greater security and independence.
I thank all the stakeholders, and in particular the women, who have contributed to the work so far. Victims/survivors have been at the heart of helping to shape the proposals, and the Government is indebted to them all. I commit that we will leave no stone unturned in taking forward the reforms, which are necessary to ensure that Scotland’s council tax system is fairer and safer for everyone. The women of Scotland deserve no less.
I will allow 20 minutes for the cabinet secretary to answer questions on the issues raised in her statement. Members who wish to ask questions should press their request-to-speak button now.
I welcome the Government’s renewed commitment in the current session of Parliament to tackling violence against women and girls, and I welcome the statement in particular, because it provides some finer detail on measures that I think can make a practical difference to the lives of many women.
However, I want to drill down a little on that finer detail with regard to joint and several liability for council tax. The cabinet secretary said that debt could be written off where there is a victim of financial abuse, but she also said that debt could be reduced and the victim could claim back the support that they previously did not get. I want to understand the interaction between those two possibilities.
In addition, what evidence might be required to ensure that a victim of such economic abuse would qualify? Would that be where a court case has been concluded? The finer detail in that regard will be important.
Finally, has there been agreement with local authorities as to who will fund the writing off of debt when that measure is used?
I thank Pauline McNeill for her interest and for her campaigning, which has been tireless in my time as an MSP, on issues relating to improving the lives of women and girls. I thank her in particular for the points that she made regarding the practical difference that some of the provisions, which are quite technical, will make for victims of domestic abuse.
On the member’s questions about the finer detail, as she will understand, some of that detail will arise from the consultation, which will be launched in January next year and will—as I understand it from officials—run until roughly the end of March. We will then look to identify an appropriate legislative vehicle to take forward the changes. There will be an opportunity, through the consultation, to address the finer points that the member has spoken about today, such as in relation the 50:50 split of debt liability that she mentioned.
Through some of the engagement that has already been undertaken in relation to what has been announced today, stakeholders have suggested that having a statutory 50:50 split represents the most straightforward and practical solution, but, as I said, there will be further consultation as a result of the changes that I have announced today. That will, to pick up on the member’s final point about local government, speak to the engagement that we will carry out with local government on how we take that forward.
The member will be aware that the Government has made a commitment to wider council tax reform during the current session of Parliament. That legislation will be coming forward shortly and, through that legislative vehicle, there may perhaps be a further opportunity to speak to some of the detail that the member has highlighted today, which I think will be captured more broadly in the consultation that will start at the beginning of next year.
I call Amanda Bland, to be followed by Karen Adam.
I welcome the commitment to consult in early 2027 on a statutory exception to joint and several liability so that survivors are liable only for their own share of the debt. However, two practical points remain unclear. First, will the exception apply to existing arrears that have already been incurred through economic or coerced abuse, or only to future liability?
Secondly, while the general extension of the enforcement window to 63 days from April 2027 is noted, will councils be required to suspend recovery and enforcement specifically while a survivor’s case is being assessed?
I thank Amanda Bland for her question, and for welcoming the statement. In my statement, I spoke about existing arrears and her specific point about retrospective pursuit of debt. We will look at that further in the consultation that we will launch in January.
As I mentioned in my statement, and as the member alluded to, from 1 April next year the Government will extend the period before enforcement can begin from 14 days to 63 days. That approach to slowing down the speed at which someone loses the right to pay in instalments is really important, given the fear and duress that people can experience. It will also bring Scotland into line with other parts of the United Kingdom—the same extension will come into force in England from 1 April next year and, as I understand it, is already in place in Wales.
We will engage with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities in relation to how we take forward those reforms. I would be more than happy to write to the member on the specifics of her questions, but I feel that the issues that she raised may be addressed by the consultation that we will launch in January.
I apologise to the cabinet secretary, Amanda Bland and Amanda Lindsay for the confusion, but I am sure that we can amend the Official Report.
Financial abuse is a particularly cruel form of domestic abuse, which leaves survivors facing debts that they may have had little or no control over. For deaf survivors, communication barriers can make it even harder to challenge those debts, understand their rights or access support. Will the cabinet secretary outline how the proposed measures will ensure that survivors are not held responsible for council tax debts arising from economic abuse, and that advice, debt resolution and appeals processes will be fully accessible to deaf survivors and others who face communication barriers?
I thank Karen Adam for raising issues relating to deaf survivors. In her time as an MSP, she has always used her position in this place to advocate for the deaf community. I welcome her doing so again today, because we are aware of the barriers that deaf survivors face. That is why we fund Deaf Links in Tayside to provide a British Sign Language advocacy service for survivors. We continue to engage with that project and the Sign LOUD initiative to help to ensure that the voices of deaf survivors shape our approach to tackling violence against women, which we know is experienced by the deaf community in different ways.
The exception that I have spoken about today, following the consultation that I have outlined, will break the financial association between survivors and their abusers, and, as I set out in my statement, survivors will be liable for a maximum of 50 per cent of overall council tax and water and sewerage charges debt.
The public consultation is a really important way for us to keep speaking to survivors. We will continue that engagement, including with deaf survivors, to make sure that our proposals are fully accessible and, importantly, fit for all.
I start by repeating the thanks that I gave when I moved amendments to the Housing (Scotland) Bill last year to introduce these measures, because this would not be happening without the work of Aberlour Children’s Charity, Financially Included, Scottish Women’s Aid, Citizens Advice Scotland and domestic abuse survivors themselves. I also thank Shirley-Anne Somerville and the Deputy First Minister for their support in making that progress possible.
Desperate vulnerable people across the country, including domestic abuse survivors, are currently trapped in cycles of unpayable debt for decades because Scotland’s system is the most punishing in the UK. If we brought our rules into line with England’s, that would bring about the biggest write-off of unpayable toxic council tax debt in Scottish history. We need to break the cycle of poverty and the abuse that it makes possible.
When will the consultation conclude? Will the changes in primary legislation that will be required to deliver that be brought in through the bill on council tax that was announced as part of the programme for government? Whether it is that bill or another, will it be introduced in time to take effect from the 2028-29 financial year?
I thank Ross Greer for his question and his welcoming of the announcement. He put on the record a number of stakeholders—not least himself—who were key to delivering the changes that I have announced, including my colleague Shirley-Anne Somerville. I note the welcome that has also been received from Scottish Women’s Aid and Citizens Advice Scotland.
The member asked about the consultation. In my response to Pauline McNeill, I said that my advice is that the consultation period should come to a conclusion at the end of March; thereafter, we will identify the next obvious opportunity for a legislative vehicle. At this stage, my expectation is that that will be the bill on council tax, but I have not yet had the formal advice that I need to take a decision on the matter. I would be more than happy to correspond with the member on that point.
To address Mr Greer’s substantive point, there is an urgency to this work. Therefore, I give him a commitment that I will work at pace to ensure that we introduce the proposed changes as soon as we can legislate to do so, to alleviate the council tax debt and the concern and distress that are associated with it.
The statement shows that we cannot look at violence against women and girls in isolation, but here we are. We need to look not only at the financial security aspect but at community justice resources. The Deputy First Minister will be aware that the police do not currently have the power to disclose whether perpetrators are released back into the same community that their victims are in. If we are serious about tackling violence against women and girls, surely that should be consulted on—whether in relation to the community aspect or the financial aspect that we are discussing today.
Meghan Gallacher is right to set out that we cannot divorce the financial challenges from the wider community impacts. As a Government, we are keen to take a holistic approach—in fact, the First Minister is leading so keenly on this work so that he can take a cross-Government approach to tackling issues that pertain to violence against women and girls.
There is a substantive point to be made about the resourcing of justice partners. To give Meghan Gallacher assurance on that, I note that I have committed to meet the chief constable, along with the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, in the coming weeks, ahead of the budget. Given the links to today’s announcement that the member has identified, I am sure that we will discuss the matters that she has raised.
I thank the minister for the advance sight of the statement. The Scottish Liberal Democrats welcome any action that seeks to reduce any risk of the impact of violent crime being directed towards women and girls. We understand that the Government has processes that need to be followed, especially if a change to the law is required.
How long does the Government expect that this process will take? Its own evidence has shown how detrimental long waiting times can be for victims—whether for a woman fighting the council to get her ex-partner removed from the council tax account, or a girl waiting months for an initial visit to a rape crisis support centre. Can the minister tell me how quickly the legislation on the issue will be introduced and, more importantly, when victims will start to feel the benefits?
I identified answers to some of those questions in my response to Mr Greer. To give Yi-pei Chou Turvey some reassurance, those are exactly the questions that I put to my officials: how quickly can we move and what is the first opportunity for us to legislate in relation to the changes that we want to make?
As a minister, I am required to consult. The consultation needs to take its course. The short, truncated approach that we have taken means that the consultation will be launched in January—I am advised by my officials that that is the soonest that I am able to do it. Thereafter, we will identify a legislative vehicle, which, as I set out in my response to Mr Greer, is likely to be the council tax bill that the Government will introduce, although I have not yet had formal advice on that point. We will look to identify the first legislative opportunity, to ensure that we move at the pace that is expected by women and girls across the country. Those issues pertaining to violence against women and girls demonstrate the necessity of urgent action from the Government.
I still have a large number of questions from members, so concise questions and answers would be very welcome. I call Patricia Gibson.
I welcome the Scottish Government’s recognition that joint and several liability for council tax debt can trap victims of domestic abuse in trauma as they are pursued for debt, which impacts on their recovery from abuse—an aspect of which, as the Deputy First Minister pointed out, too often involves financial control.
What measures will be taken to raise wider public awareness of this initiative? The Deputy First Minister will understand that this announcement will be of particular interest to those victims of domestic abuse who have not yet escaped their abuser because they feel trapped by financial constraints.
I thank Patricia Gibson for her hugely important question about awareness raising. We want to maximise the reach and impact of the support that is available. That is why, as I set out, we will consult on the detailed design, including the date on which it should apply. We will work closely with local councils, domestic abuse organisations and other stakeholders to ensure that support is accessible and that it reaches as many victims/survivors as possible. I will also engage with officials on the member’s substantive point about how we can raise awareness of the consultation—for example, by using the Government’s online social media channels. MSPs can help to raise public awareness more broadly by sharing that advice and guidance with their constituents.
I welcome today’s announcement and the Government’s recognition of the unfair approach to council tax debt collection. Public debt intensifies and sustains poverty, and the Deputy First Minister has rightly recognised the need for a fairer council tax system for women in particular.
Given the inconsistencies across local government in the way in which debt is collected, does the Deputy First Minister recognise—I think that she does—that primary legislation might be required to adequately reform public debt recovery processes across Scotland to ensure that we do not trap indebted women and families in a cycle of poverty? That legislation might need to be separate from the legislation that she spoke about in her statement.
Carol Mochan has raised an important point about legislation. I have set out our view on the next steps following the consultation and the next obvious legislative vehicle, but there might be a requirement to consider the broader issue that she has rightly raised on public debt.
To give Carol Mochan some assurance, I note that, as the First Minister set out during First Minister’s question time, we will meet the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities tomorrow to talk about the wider programme of public service reform. That will provide a welcome opportunity to talk about these issues in the round. Only yesterday, I met Perth and Kinross Council to hear its views on our public service reform approach. We see inconsistency across Scotland in relation to a number of public services, so public service reform provides opportunities to do things differently and more consistently and, ultimately, to improve women’s experiences of the current system.
I am more than happy to take away Carol Mochan’s suggestion on public debt and to come back to her following our engagement with COSLA.
Like others, I very much welcome today’s statement. Yesterday, my committee published its pre-budget scrutiny report. Our committee heard evidence of coerced debt and economic abuse. We also heard that female single parents are 68 per cent more likely to have public debt and that council tax debt is pursued much more aggressively than private debt. What further steps can be taken to tackle coerced debt and economic abuse? How will the Government engage with voluntary and third sector organisations, alongside councils, to support victims of domestic abuse?
I welcome the committee’s work in highlighting the impact of coerced debt and economic abuse on victims and survivors. The evidence that the committee heard reinforces the findings of the Government’s statutory review. The measures that the Government is pursuing will create a much more compassionate approach to public debt that recognises the point about vulnerability that has been mentioned and that supports recovery for those who have experienced economic abuse.
We recognise that tackling coerced debt requires a partnership approach, which is why we have engaged closely with expert stakeholders such as Financially Included, Scottish Women’s Aid, Aberlour Children’s Charity—which Mr Greer mentioned—and academics. Their expertise has been invaluable and will remain central to our approach as we go forward with the consultation on the detailed design stage and the range of proposals that I outlined in my statement.
I thank the Deputy First Minister for her statement. We have talked a lot about working at pace on existing debt. Without clear answers on interim protection for those with existing debt, many women will continue to face action on debts that they did not create, as has been said. Why can the Deputy First Minister not make that commitment today, given that she has committed to increasing the enforcement period from 14 days to 63 days?
To give Ms MacDougall some assurance, I would like to be clearer on those issues, but I am legally required to consult, so I will take the approach to which I, as a minister, am bound.
It is important to note that those who are currently living with debt are still entitled to a level of support. For example, in the 2026-27 financial year, we provided Citizens Advice Scotland with an additional £2.2 million of funding to support people with debt. We have also provided additional support through the council tax reduction scheme, which is saving around 460,000 households £900 a year on average.
I am legally required to consult, and we will take the first legislative opportunity after that consultation ends, which is expected to be at the end of March.
I direct members to my entry in the register of members’ interests; I am a councillor in Renfrewshire.
I am grateful to the cabinet secretary for her statement and for informing members about the positive action that the Scottish Government is taking to tackle some aspects of public debt. That is definitely to be welcomed, as has been recognised in other members’ questions, the responses to which have shortened the questions that I have.
Will the cabinet secretary elaborate further on the criteria or evidence that will be required from individuals who seek access to that type of support? We know that survivors of domestic violence can find that overwhelming, and I would hate there to be any deterrent to such a well-intentioned action from the Scottish Government.
Survivors are at the heart of the actions I have set out today. The member raises an important point, and we will continue engaging with survivors as we move into the consultation phase.
Expert stakeholders have informed the work done thus far, and, as part of the consideration of joint and several liability, the Government also conducted a rapid evidence review of recent research on the issue. Survivors’ voices have been really clear in the research conducted by Scottish Women’s Aid. More broadly, we will continue engaging with survivors groups as we approach the consultation period, which will begin in January, and will provide the necessary support that the member spoke about.
I thank my colleague Ross Greer, who kickstarted this work in the previous session of Parliament.
I hugely welcome the Government’s decision to exempt domestic abuse survivors from joint and several liability for council tax arrears that arise from abuse because it is an incredibly important step towards securing economic justice for women who have experienced abuse that too often traps children and families in poverty.
However, it is vital that we get the delivery right, so how will the Government ensure that the assessment process will be designed to protect victims from being retraumatised? How will she continue working with stakeholders such as Aberlour and Financially Included, as well as with victims/survivors, to ensure that their voices and experiences inform implementation?
I thank Holly Bruce for recognising her colleague Ross Greer’s work on this really important legislative change. The trauma that she spoke of, in terms of how debt can trap children and families, is prevalent in the experiences that have been shared with the Government as part of our approach to the issue.
The member raised two points. The first was about how the wider approach to council tax will avoid retraumatising women and girls. We will take a sensitive approach to the consultation and will use that to inform the legislative approach that is then taken.
The member also spoke about stakeholder engagement. We have learned from stakeholders—not least from women and girls themselves—throughout the process. We will continue to have really clear dialogue with stakeholders as we approach the consultation, which, as I said in my statement, will begin in January.
I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests; I am a councillor on Dundee City Council.
Last month, I visited Aberlour’s Tayside family financial wellbeing pilot and saw at first hand the positive effects of assisting disadvantaged families who have public debt. I very much welcome today’s announcement. I will build on some of the previous questions: will the cabinet secretary specifically consider consulting on enabling local authorities to accept as evidence testimony that comes from third sector organisations, in order to ensure that women do not have to tell their stories again and again?
I thank the member for highlighting the really important work done by Aberlour. We looked at the Tayside pilot as part of the joint review, and I assure the member that there are undoubtedly lessons to be learned.
It is really important that our public systems work better for survivors so that they avoid the very issue that the member raises. As far as possible, we want to support a smoother recovery by avoiding survivors having to share their experiences repeatedly. I am more than happy to engage further with the member on that point. The broader consultation that I spoke about in the statement will be launched in January and I hope that we will use some of the learning that the member has set out in the approach that we adopt as part of that consultation.