Insolvency Support Services is pleased to offer our ISS Technical Helpline as a standalone service to insolvency practices, accountancy firms, banks, regulators, and local and national government across the UK.
For many years, the helpline has been a valued benefit for our existing clients. Now, organisations no longer need to use our wider support services to access our specialist technical advice on an ad-hoc basis.
Whether you need guidance on a Scottish insolvency matter, an independent expert opinion on a complex case, or simply reassurance that you’re taking the right approach on an issue, the ISS Technical Helpline provides practical advice from experienced insolvency professionals with extensive expertise in Scottish insolvency law and practice.
The ISS Technical Helpline is available as a retainer, providing your organisation with 10 hours of expert technical advice. Once purchased, your hours do not expire and can be used whenever you need them.
The retainer fee is £1,650 + VAT and includes 10 hours of technical support. Time is deducted for each query, allowing you to draw down your allocation as and when required.
To find out more or purchase an ISS Technical Helpline retainer, contact us at [email protected] or call 0845 601 7570.
Insolvency Support Services’ Eileen Maclean, Danielle Kelly and Kim Guthrie (pictured in the first image below, left to right) were delighted to host a drinks reception at The Hoxton Edinburgh on 19 June to celebrate the success of ISS Training’s Joint Insolvency Examination (JIE) 2025 students.
Congratulations again to Amjad Hassan, Conor Bowles, Nadia Denholme, Paul O’Donnell, Kirsty Baillie, Jemma Kirk, James Dempster (pictured above from left to right) and Zaneta Resiak on your tremendous achievement. We wish you every success as you continue to develop your career in the insolvency profession.
A special thank you to Eileen Blackburn (pictured in the second image below with Eileen Maclean) for formally representing the JIE Board and presenting our successful students with their JIE certificates.
While we also very much enjoyed attending the JIE Graduation Ceremony at Chartered Accountants’ Hall in London last month, it was great to have a celebratory event closer to home this year too.
Everyone at Insolvency Support Services is taking a health and wellbeing week over the summer, so the team here will be enjoying an extra week’s holiday from Monday 13 July to Friday 17 July. The business will be closed for those five days to allow us a week of R&R and as a thank you to the team for all their hard work and support. (The fact that this is the final week of the World Cup is entirely coincidental!)
We hope that by letting you know now, we won’t inconvenience our clients. We will be back, bright and refreshed, on Monday 20 July.
The Scottish liquidation and administration Rules (R7.19 ISRWUR 2018 and R3.108 ISCVAAR 2018) both state that the office holder must send every known creditor a list of claims that have been accepted or rejected:
(2) On accepting or rejecting, under paragraph (1), every claim submitted or deemed to have been re-submitted, the liquidator/administrator must, as soon as reasonably practicable, send a list of every claim so accepted or rejected (including the amount of each claim and whether it has been accepted or rejected) to every creditor known to the liquidator/administrator.
This appears to mean that every creditor (regardless of whether they are receiving a distribution) should receive the list of claims admitted/ rejected.
Historically we have only been sending the letter and schedule to the class of creditor receiving the distribution. This does sound more practical, particularly in a case where we are only paying the preferential creditors. We are circulating the names and amounts of their claims to potentially hundreds of people as it cannot only be uploaded to our website per R1.45.
Do you think the details should be going to all creditors?
We have looked at the Act and Rules and consulted the bankruptcy authorities and guidance for any commentary on this matter, since there are no current corporate authorities. We could not find anything.
However, we agree with your interpretation. The wording states “every known creditor” in both Rules.
The principle that sits behind that is the protection of the wider body of creditors. If the office holder allows a claim significantly higher than originally anticipated, then the other creditors have a right to appeal that decision and adjudication since it will have a potential impact on the level of dividend they may receive. If that claim is preferential and ranks higher than the ordinary claims, they will again be impacted if that claim is allowed, so all classes of creditor have a right to appeal any claim adjudication, and not just the class of creditor that is getting paid. Therefore, it makes sense that to allow the creditors (and members) to exercise their rights of appeal, all creditors should be given notice of any adjudication.
You raise a point about the use of websites as well – and here is an interesting thing.
In R1.45 ISRWUR 2018 para 2(b) states that you cannot give notice by website of any document relating to adjudication of claims or payment of a dividend. In a liquidation, you will need to post to creditors (including opted outs) notice of the adjudication.
In the equivalent R1.45 ISCVAAR 2018, there is no equivalent to para 2(b) which suggests that you can give notice of your adjudication of claims in an administration solely by way of a website.
In recent months Scotland’s insolvency profession has come together in remarkable fashion to raise funds for the charity Action on Asbestos that supports our friend and colleague, Craig Morrison.
In May 2025, Craig was very sadly diagnosed with mesothelioma, an incurable cancer affecting the lining of the lungs that is almost always linked to asbestos exposure. Following his diagnosis, Craig was assigned a dedicated mesothelioma nurse from the charity’s Network of Nurses who continues to provide invaluable medical, emotional and practical support. Although she works within the NHS, her role is funded by Action on Asbestos.
Action on Asbestos (until recently known as Clydeside Action on Asbestos) is Scotland’s leading asbestos charity. It provides free support and services to anyone in Scotland diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, as well as to their families. The charity relies heavily on donations to continue its vital work.
The EIDG Quiz Night in February this year was a tremendous success, raising more than £7,000 for Action on Asbestos. During her presentation at the event, the charity’s director Phyllis Craig highlighted the need for marketing support. In response, Insolvency Support Services and Wallace Marketing jointly funded a series of marketing consultancy sessions delivered by David Wallace. These have helped the charity develop a marketing plan, prepare for an enhanced social media presence, and recruit a part-time Marketing Co-ordinator.
Since the EIDG Quiz Night, a number of other hugely successful fundraising initiatives have taken place. R3 Association of Business Recovery Professionals’ WOSIF Insolvency Quiz in Glasgow raised £3,830, with match funding of £2,000 from Addleshaw Goddard bringing the total raised to £5,830. FRP Advisory’s Scotland team completed a virtual walk from its Aberdeen office to its Cyprus office raising £1,390, and “Craig’s World Cup Quiz”, organised by HSBC’s Alisdair Hillis and PwC’s Robin McBurnie, raised another £5,630.
Action on Asbestos has now announced that The Craig Morrison Charity Ball, in support of its Network of Nurses, will take place at the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh on Saturday, 28 November 2026. The event promises to be a memorable and enjoyable evening while raising funds for an extremely worthwhile cause. All proceeds will go to the NHS to help ensure that more people diagnosed with asbestos-related conditions can access specialist nursing care and support.
The generosity shown by Scotland’s insolvency profession over the past year has already made a real difference. We hope many colleagues will attend The Craig Morrison Charity Ball to continue supporting the vital work of Action on Asbestos and its Network of Nurses.
Further information about The Craig Morrison Charity Ball 2026 can be found in Action on Asbestos’ poster below. The evening starts with a champagne reception at 6pm and concludes at midnight.
To book a table, or express an interest in taking a table, please contact Phyllis Craig on 07484 903292 or by email at [email protected].
Our Upcoming Courses page features all scheduled courses. For an overview of all our courses, visit our Full Training Programme. To search an alphabetical list, see our Training Course Index page.
If you would like to run a Bespoke In-House Training course, please contact us.
Technical Short: Fraud Update 2026
25 September, 10:00am – 11:00am
All recorded webinars in our One Hour Series Learning Library (How To, Technical Short, Business Insolvency, and Protecting Your Licence) are available to view at a time that suits you.
Our Joint Insolvency Exam (JIE) Exam Training courses continue this quarter.
CII – Certificate in Insolvency (E&W) Tutor Supported Course
Stream D starts 17 August, 10:30am – 11:30am
CII – ICAEW Certificate in Insolvency (E&W) Self Study Course
Online course for completion at your own pace
Our Foundations online learning courses (Foundations in Insolvency Compliance, Foundations in Personal Insolvency, and Foundations in Corporate Insolvency) are available to be completed at any time that is convenient for you.
Foundations in Scottish Personal Insolvency
12 and 13 August, 9:30am – 5:00pm
Challengeable Transactions in Scotland
Online course for completion at your own pace
Anti-Money Laundering 2026 coming soon
VAT in Insolvency
Online course for completion at your own pace
Insolvency Support Services is proud to have become a firm member of the Insolvency Practitioners’ Assocation (IPA), the first non-appointment-taking organisation to do so. In addition, each of our team members now has individual IPA membership.
We are delighted to have renewed our ICAEW Partner in Learning status for CII – Certificate in Insolvency (E&W) training for the sixth consecutive year.
We continue to offer two popular CII course options: Tutor Supported (next stream starts 17 August) and Self Study (complete online at your own pace). Visit the Exam Training section of our website for more information.
Last year our client BDO LLP kindly invited us to take part in the UN Global Compact Sustainable Suppliers Training Programme as one of their suppliers.
BDO was one of eight leading organisations that participated in the 2025 programme, with each involving many of their suppliers across the world.
A modular programme run by UN Global Compact Network UK, the Sustainable Suppliers Training Programme was developed to train suppliers in corporate sustainability, help them improve their sustainable business practices, and assist them to prepare for requirements set by regulatory sustainability frameworks.
Insolvency Support Services’ Kim Guthrie represented the firm on the programme, which covered different facets of sustainability, including integrating Sustainable Development Goals within the business, reducing its carbon footprint, working towards a gender equity plan, creating a supply code of conduct, and reporting on sustainability metrics.
While much of the course was more relevant for large-scale businesses, there were several important learning points for small and medium-sized businesses like ours. We very much agree with, and endorse, the principles of the UN Global Compact, including supporting the elimination of discrimination in the workplace, promoting greater environmental responsibility, and working against corruption. As a result of taking part in the programme, we reviewed and reconfirmed various aspects of how we work, including work-life balance and flexible working hours, the hiring of local businesses as suppliers, and minimising our environmental impact (e.g. by providing training course materials electronically rather than printed). We are also in the process of updating our policies in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, where relevant.
Thanks very much again to BDO for giving us this valuable opportunity to learn practical steps to improve Insolvency Support Services’ sustainability.
Our new Upcoming Courses page features all scheduled courses. For an overview of all our courses, visit our Full Training Programme. For an alphabetical list, see our Training Course Index page.
If you would like to run a Bespoke In-House Training course, please contact us.
Technical Short: TUPE Transfers
24 April, 10:00am – 11:00am
How To: Write a SIP 16 Report
29 May, 10:00am – 11:00am
Protecting your Licence: UK SIPs Update
26 June, 10:00am – 11:00am
All recorded webinars in our One Hour Series Learning Library (How To, Technical Short, Business Insolvency, and Protecting Your Licence) are available to view at a time that suits you.
Our Joint Insolvency Exam (JIE) Exam Training courses continue this quarter.
CII – Certificate in Insolvency (E&W) Tutor Supported Course
Stream C starts 8 May, 02:00pm – 03:00pm
CII – ICAEW Certificate in Insolvency (E&W) Self Study Course
Online course for completion at your own pace
Foundations in Scottish Personal Insolvency
12 and 13 May, 09:30am – 05:00pm
Our Foundations online learning courses (Foundations in Insolvency Compliance, Foundations in Personal Insolvency, and Foundations in Corporate Insolvency) are available to be completed at any time that is convenient for you.
Challengeable Transactions in Scotland
Online course for completion at your own pace
Anti-Money Laundering 2026 coming soon
VAT in Insolvency
Online course for completion at your own pace
