At this point, the judge would be entitled to make an order compelling external sources to provide what is today private information. Similarly, landlords, mortgage lenders, credit reference agencies, trade suppliers and trade creditors could be ordered to give information. The so-called winner could then decide how best to get at the revealed assets. Of course, the debtor still has to give information, too, and will be ordered to do so by the court. That power has always been with the court - it is the remedy for contempt.
Imprisonment arising out of oral examination is rare.
It is to be made easier. If the court learns that the debtor could pay but will not, and getting hands on the money is difficult, there are some new ideas in the wind. Some say the debtor's passport should be confiscated, a bar put on his future credit, tax concessions or driving licence withdrawn, or his ability to reclaim VAT taken away. All these could apply to companies, too. The most effective suggestions seem to be getting information from external sources.