174.— (1) Where, as respects a person who is a personal insolvency practitioner, the Insolvency Service determines that it is necessary to do so for the protection of debtors and creditors who are parties to Debt Settlement Arrangements or Personal Insolvency Arrangements in relation to which the personal insolvency practitioner concerned is performing or has performed functions performable by a personal insolvency practitioner under this Act, the Insolvency Service may apply to the High Court in a summary manner for an order directing one or more of the following:

(a) that no bank shall, without leave of the High Court, make any payment out of an account in the name of the personal insolvency practitioner concerned in his or her capacity as a personal insolvency practitioner;

(b) that a specified bank shall not, without leave of the High Court, make any payment out of an account kept at such bank by the personal insolvency practitioner or former personal insolvency practitioner in such capacity or former capacity, as the case may be;

(c) that the personal insolvency practitioner or former personal insolvency practitioner shall not, without leave of the High Court, dispose of or direct or facilitate the disposal of any assets within his or her possession or control or within his or her procurement;

(d) that the personal insolvency practitioner or former personal insolvency practitioner shall not, without leave of the High Court, reduce his or her assets below a specified amount or value.

(2) The High Court may hear an application for an order under subsection (1) otherwise than in public.

(3) Where the High Court makes an order under subsection (1) in relation to a personal insolvency practitioner, the Court may make one or more of the following further orders:

(a) directing a specified bank to furnish any information in its possession that the Insolvency Service requires relating to any aspect of the financial affairs of the personal insolvency practitioner in his or her capacity as a personal insolvency practitioner;

(b) directing the personal insolvency practitioner to swear an affidavit disclosing all information relating to or contained in any account with any bank held in his or her own name, or in the name of his or her business or former business as a personal insolvency practitioner, or jointly with third parties, within a specified duration of time to be fixed by the Court;

(c) directing the personal insolvency practitioner to swear an affidavit disclosing all information relating to his or her assets, either then in his or her possession or control or within his or her procurement or which had been but are no longer in his or her possession or control or within his or her procurement, within a specified duration of time to be fixed by the Court, and, if no longer in his or her possession or control or within his or her procurement, his or her belief as to the present whereabouts of those assets;

(d) directing the personal insolvency practitioner to make himself or herself available before the Court on a specified date and at a specified time for oral examination under oath in relation to the contents of any affidavit of assets sworn by him or her pursuant to paragraph (c).

(4) Where the High Court makes an order under subsection (1) in relation to a personal insolvency practitioner, the personal insolvency practitioner shall forthwith lodge (or cause to be lodged) any moneys subsequently received by him or her to the appropriate account or accounts, unless otherwise ordered by the Court.

(5) Where the High Court is satisfied, on an application being made to it by the Insolvency Service, that there is reason to believe that any person holds or has held assets on behalf of a personal insolvency practitioner or on behalf of his or her practice or former practice as a personal insolvency practitioner to whom subsection (1) applies, the Court may order that person to disclose to the Insolvency Service all information as to such assets, either then in his or her possession or control or within his or her procurement or which had been but are no longer in his or her possession or control or within his or her procurement, and, if no longer within his or her possession or control or within his or her procurement, his or her belief as to the present whereabouts of those assets.

(6) A reference in this section to a personal insolvency practitioner includes a reference to a person who is no longer a personal insolvency practitioner.