Section 179 – Schedule of money attachment
599.Section 179(1) provides that a judicial officer, immediately after carrying out a money attachment, must complete a schedule of money attachment. The schedule of money attachment is a document which will contain all the details about the money which has been attached. It may either be a paper document or it can be completed electronically, in which case it would need to include an electronic signature (see section 198(3)).
600.Under subsection (2)(b)(ii), the schedule must specify the value of the attached money but only so far as ascertainable because the officer may not have been able to make an accurate valuation of all the attached instruments at the time of executing the attachment.
601.Under subsection (3), the judicial officer must give a copy of the schedule to the debtor. Where this is not practicable, perhaps because the debtor is not present at the time, a copy must be given to any other person present at the place where the money attachment was executed or, if nobody is there, the officer must leave a copy at that place.
602.Subsection (4) provides that the day on which a money attachment is carried out is to be the day on which the judicial officer hands over a copy of the schedule under subsection (3). This is to make it clear when the money attachment is executed and, in particular, it clarifies that banking instruments may be attached even though the officer decides that a professional valuation of them is needed. In practical terms, it may not be possible to have such a valuation carried out on the same day as the money attachment. This section makes it clear that, nevertheless, the instruments are still attached pending that valuation.
