Legal procedure for warrant sales was governed by the Debtors (Scotland) Act 1987.
It became a contentious political issue in the late 1980s, when Scottish councils used the legislation against an ever-increasing number of Community Charge defaulters, which involved councils applying for a warrant from the local court to collect the money owed by non-payers.
Sheriff officers (private companies even though their title suggests they are court employees) were the choice of the local authorities to collect the outstanding debts.
[1] The practice was abolished when Tommy Sheridan, MSP, of the Scottish Socialist Party, introduced a private member's bill in 2001, and the Scottish Parliament voted to remove the legislation from Scots law under the Abolition of Poindings and Warrant Sales Act 2001.
[2] In July 2022, Jackie Baillie, MSP, accused the Scottish government of attempting to reintroduce warrant sales as part of the Moveable Transactions Bill.