Whether there are any changes proposed to the structure of the Office of the Accountant in Bankruptcy.

The Accountant in Bankruptcy will become an Executive Agency of the Scottish Executive on 2 April 2002. In many ways the office already operates along agency principles and there will be no change to the statutory functions of the Accountant in Bankruptcy or to his status as an independent statutory officer.This change will clarify the accountability of the office to both the Scottish Parliament and to Scottish ministers. It will also formalise relationships between the office and the other parts of the Scottish Executive.All Accountant in Bankruptcy staff are civil servants within the Scottish Executive and will continue to be employed on civil service terms and conditions of service. Copies of the agency's Framework Document are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 20181).