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Okay. That is understandable.

There is a worry that the register of statutory pledges could stop working effectively if too many out-of-date statutory pledges remained on it. The Faculty of Advocates has proposed that creditors should be able to set the timescale that a pledge can last for when they register it. Is that something that the Scottish Government might be interested in?

That gives a pointer to the idea that the process is supposed to be more open and accessible than the present arrangements, and for a wider range of people. I thank you very much for that.

You have covered a wide range of issues. Thank you very much for doing so.

Supporters of the reforms have stated that they are likely to make access to credit cheaper. Do you agree that that will be the case in practice, or is that a smokescreen for the new legislation?

In your view, businesses in England and other countries have access to a wider range of finance options than we have in Scotland at present. As you mentioned earlier, people take up the advantages of running things under English law. Will the bill open up options and mean that people will be able to concentrate their options here in Scotland?

Thank you for that. All three of you have said that it is something that you would want to consider. What benefits would such a link bring to Registers of Scotland?

That is very helpful. Thank you very much for that, which has answered my question.

When the committee put out a call for views, some stakeholders suggested that there should be links between the registers in the bill and Companies House. You obviously know about that—I can see you nodding. That would avoid a need for companies to register financial arrangements twice. Some of those who would have to register would not wish to register with more than one body, which would be a complication for them. Will you consider that?

That makes a lot of sense. Thanks for that.

I thank Paul Sweeney for asking that question, because it raised an issue that I was thinking about. I want to ask about the security of information, not in terms of keeping it from people but in terms of how people will prove that they are the correct person to alter information that is held. I am concerned that somebody could mess around with and change somebody else’s information. How will you ensure that the process is handled correctly?

So that is being addressed. Thank you.