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Transfer of new powers

Thursday, 14 July 2016

Regulations laid at Westminster today will begin the transfer of powers to enable the Scottish Parliament to start legislating on social security and employability.

The powers will include the ability to implement new arrangements to support people in receipt of benefits to be devolved, and the long term unemployed, including those with disabilities and health conditions.

The timescale for implementation will start from 1st April 2017, when the first employment support schemes will start operating.

For social security, the regulations transfer the powers to create new benefits or top up existing ones. The transfer of powers over benefits currently being paid to people in Scotland will be at a later stage.

Once all of the powers are transferred the Scottish Government will have control of 15% of current social security spend in Scotland, including the support given to disabled people and carers, and the ability to introduce new benefit payments.

“We will work closely with Westminster ministers to ensure the transfer of these powers takes place as smoothly and as quickly as possible. This is the start of a process and these changes will be implemented on a phased basis over the coming years,” said Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Keith Brown. “New powers on employability are among the most exciting of the new areas to be devolved as it gives Scotland the chance to create services that help long term unemployed Scots find work and stay in work.”

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Legislative proposals to help reduce the number of domestic homicides and suicides in Scotland have been published in the Scottish Parliament. If passed by MSPs, the C...; 23 September Case management initiative success
A case management initiative introduced at several courts has the potential to transform summary justice across Scotland, bringing early resolution for victims and witnes...; 12 September Report on domestic abuse and stalking charges in Scotland
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has published a report on Domestic Abuse and Stalking charges in Scotland 2023-24. This provides information on ...; 9 September Climate Change Bill published
The Scottish Government has published legislation to create a carbon budget approach to setting climate targets. The Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scot...; 4 September New King's Counsel Appointments
Three solicitor advocates are among eighteen new King's Counsel and five new Honorary King’s Counsel appointed this year. The rank of King’s Counsel is...; 1 September Statements of grant for international designs
The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has confirmed that, following a successful trial, it will continue to issue statements of grants of protection in respect of intern...; August; 28 August Increase in recorded crime in Scotland
Scotland’s Chief Statistician has released a statistical report on Recorded Crime in Scotland for the year ending June 2024. In the year ending June 2024, it say...; 26 August Guidance on comparable holdings in agricultural rent reviews
Last month Tenant Farming Commissioner Bob McIntosh released new guidance aimed at enhancing the understanding of and procedures used when using comparable holdings in re...; 21 August Report on victims' views on sentencing domestic abuse
Earlier this month the Scottish Sentencing Council published a new report examining how victim-survivors of domestic abuse view sentencing in Scotland. The research, c...; 19 August MSPs consider Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017
Holyrood’s Social Justice and Social Security Committee is carrying out post legislative scrutiny of the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 and would like to hear vi...; 15 August Consultation on Review of Contract Law
The Scottish Government has published a consultation on the 2018 Scottish Law Commission report on Review of Contract Law: Formation, Interpretation, Remedies for Breach,...; 12 August New President of the Pensions Appeal Tribunal Scotland
Following the upcoming resignation of President Marion Caldwell KC, the Lord President has appointed Mr Andrew Webster KC as President of the Pensions Appeal Tribunal Sco...; 8 August Strikes Act to be repealed
The Government announced earlier this week that it will repeal the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023, brought in by the previous Government. The announcement c...; 5 August Roll-out of digital evidence sharing technology
An initiative for sharing digital evidence from crime scene to court room is being rolled out across Scotland. Digital Evidence Sharing Capability (DESC) allows police...; 1 August Children’s hearings system consultation
The Scottish Government has launched a consultation on the redesign of Scotland’s children’s hearings system. According to Natalie Don MSP, Minister for Ch...; July; 29 July Draft sentencing guidelines for rape offences
The Scottish Sentencing Council is seeking views on draft sentencing guidelines for rape offences. People from all backgrounds, legal or otherwise, are being urged to off...; 25 July Report on human rights in places of detention
The Scottish Human Rights Commission, in partnership with the National Preventive Mechanism in Scotland, have published a joint report on prisons and forensic mental heal...; 22 July Views sought on anonymity for child homicide victims
Views are being sought on options to help reduce trauma for bereaved families of child homicide victims caused by the publicity arising from such cases. Justice Secret...; 18 July Milestone for children’s rights
Children’s rights are now at the heart of decision making in Scotland after the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) (Incorporation) Ac...; 15 July New Sheriffs Appointed to the Sheriff Appeal Court
It was announced earlier this month that Sheriffs David Young KC and Joan Kerr have been appointed as appeal sheriffs by the Lord President, Lord Carloway. These appointm...; 11 July Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017
The Scottish Parliament’s Social Justice and Social Security Committee has opened a consultation to consider the impact of the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017. ...; 8 July Long-term prisoners – changing the point of release
Individuals could spend more time under community supervision as part of their prison sentence, a consultation has proposed. Views are being sought on changing the poi...; 4 July Police (Ethics, Conduct and Scrutiny) (Scotland) Bill
The Scottish Parliament’s Criminal Justice Committee has backed the Police (Ethics, Conduct and Scrutiny) (Scotland) Bill at Stage 1. However, they have concerns ov...; 1 July New powers on trusts and succession
New powers have come into force allowing a court to prevent those convicted of murder or culpable homicide from acting as an executor on their victim’s estate. T...; June; 12 June Assisted Dying Bill
Views are being sought by a Parliament Committee on a Bill that would allow terminally ill adults in Scotland to choose to be given assistance by health professionals to ...; 10 June Bankruptcy and Diligence (Scotland) Bill
Protections for people who are in debt and experiencing mental health problems have been approved by the Scottish Parliament. The Bankruptcy and Diligence (Scotland) B...; 6 June The Education (Scotland) Bill
Legislation to create a new national qualifications body and an independent inspectorate of schools and other educational providers has been published. The Education (...; 3 June Post Office (Horizon System) Offences (Scotland) Bill
Legislation was passed last week that will automatically exonerate sub-postmasters who were wrongly convicted as a result of the faulty Horizon IT system, the day after R...; May; 30 May Strong public awareness of FOI
New research published by the Scottish Information Commissioner has found both strong public awareness of Scotland’s freedom of information (FOI) law, along with st...; 27 May Senator Appointments 2024
His Majesty the King, on the recommendation of the First Minister, has appointed Sheriff Andrew Cubie, Kirsty Hood KC, Ronaldo Renucci KC and Morag Ross KC as Senators of...; 23 May The Social Security (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill
Proposals to change Scotland’s social security system should be approved by the Scottish Parliament but must be underpinned by the Scottish Government’s socia...; 20 May Post Office (Horizon System) Offences (Scotland) Bill
Sub-postmasters wrongly convicted as a result of the faulty Horizon IT system will automatically be exonerated under proposed legislation introduced to the Scottish Parli...; 16 May Cladding Remediation Bill passed
The Scottish Parliament has unanimously approved legislation giving Scottish Ministers powers to assess and remediate buildings which have unsafe cladding, where consent ...; 13 May New temporary judge appointed
The Sheriff Principal of Glasgow and Strathkelvin, Aisha Anwar, has been appointed by the Scottish Ministers to act as a temporary judge. Sheriff Principal Anwar was a...; 9 May Non-paying parents Child Maintenance consultation
The Department for Work and Pensions is consulting on changes to the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) that aims to ensure that more children get the financial support they...; 6 May Employment Injury Assistance
A consultation on replacing the UK Government’s Industrial Injuries Scheme in Scotland has been launched. Views are sought on how the Scottish Government’s pl...; 2 May Tenancy of Shops (Scotland) Act 1949 – discussion paper
The Scottish Law Commission has published a Discussion Paper on Aspects of Leases: Tenancy of Shops (Scotland) Act 1949. Thousands of shops, cafes, pubs, restaurants, ...; April; 29 April Children (Care and Justice) Bill passed
MSPs have backed Stage 3 of the Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Bill, enshrining in law age-appropriate care and justice for vulnerable young people across the cou...; 25 April Discussion Paper on the law of the tenement
The Scottish Law Commission has published a Discussion Paper consulting on reform of the law of the tenement. A tenement is any building made up of at least two flats ...; 22 April Call for views on the Housing Bill
The Scottish Parliament's Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee and Social Justice and Social Security Committee have jointly launched a new public consult...; 18 April Lord Advocate addresses domestic abuse report
The Lord Advocate has accepted a report into how domestic abuse is prosecuted, which has emphasised that the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) must speed...; 15 April Digital platform for victims and witnesses
An initiative to digitally transform how victims and witnesses in criminal cases can access information and guidance relevant to them online has been launched by the Crow...; 11 April New Summary Sheriffs appointed
The Scottish Government has announced the appointment of thirteen new Summary Sheriffs, all of whom take office on 22nd April. The appointments are: Collette Gal...; 8 April Call for views on Land Reform Bill
Holyrood’s Net Zero, Energy & Transport Committee has launched a call for views to support its scrutiny of the Scottish Government’s Land Reform Bill. ...; 4 April Agriculture and Rural Communities Bill
Legislation to support Scotland’s rural economy and communities has passed Stage 1 in the Scottish Parliament. MSPs voted in favour of the principles behind refo...; 2 April Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill – Stage 1 Report
The Scottish Parliament’s Criminal Justice Committee has published its Stage 1 report on the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill. The Committ...; March; 28 March The Housing (Scotland) Bill published
New legislation that aims to keep people in their homes and help prevent homelessness has been published. The Housing (Scotland) Bill will introduce an ‘ask and ...; 28 March SSA - 10+ hrs CPD for SSA members
SOCIETY OF SOLICITOR ADVOCATES – 10+ Hours FREE CPD for SSA members via Zoom To help Solicitor Advocates meet the mandatory 10 hours of Continuing Prof...; 25 March Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill passed
Scotland’s wildlife will benefit from increased protection thanks to a new law passed by the Scottish Parliament. The Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill incl...; 21 March PHSO report on Women’s State Pension age
A comprehensive investigation by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman has found that thousands of women may have been affected by DWP’s failure to adequat...; 18 March Land Reform (Scotland) Bill
The Land Reform (Scotland) Bill was introduced to Parliament last week. It includes measures that will apply to large landholdings of over 1,000 hectares, prohibiting sal...; 7 March Community Right to Buy
A review of Community Rights to Buy will begin this summer to look at how effective current powers are. Community Right to Buy has now been in use for 20 years. During...; 4 March National Care Service Bill
Legislation that will see the introduction of a National Care Service for Scotland has passed Stage 1 in Parliament. According to the Scottish Government, the National...; February; 29 February Independent review of sentencing and penal policy
Identifying the most effective ways to address offending behaviour so there is less crime and fewer victims will be at the heart of an independent review of sentencing an...; 26 February CMA finds fundamental concerns in housebuilding market
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published its final report on the housebuilding market in Great Britain – finding that the complex and unpredictable...; 22 February Code of Practice on ‘fire and rehire’ practices
Action against unscrupulous employers to tackle the use of controversial ‘fire and rehire’ practices is being rolled out by the Government. It has published a...; 19 February Solemn hearings in island courts
Sheriff Principal Derek Pyle, Sheriff Principal of Grampian, Highland and Islands, has published an Order of Court providing for the return of solemn proceedings to Kirkw...; 15 February Appointment to Scottish Land Court and Lands Tribunal for Scotland
Scottish Ministers have announced the appointment of Deborah Anne Lovell as a new part-time legal member of the Scottish Land Court. Ms Lovell has also been appointe...; 12 February Stage 1 Report on The Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill
Proposals to reform how legal services are regulated in Scotland have been backed by a majority of MSPs on Holyrood’s Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Com...; 8 February Views sought on changes to Scottish elections
The Scottish Parliament’s Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee is looking at the Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill and it is as...; 6 February Four new temporary judges
Scottish Ministers have appointed four sheriffs to act as temporary judges to assist with jury trials in the High Court, it was announced last week. The Sheriffs appo...; 1 February Domestic abuse pilot extended to Glasgow Sheriff Court
A successful pilot project, where evidence is shared and, where possible, agreed prior to a trial diet being assigned, has been extended to Scotland’s busiest court...; January; 29 January Concerns over The Bankruptcy and Diligence (Scotland) Bill
A Scottish Parliament committee has expressed its concern with proposals to support people experiencing mental health issues and struggling with debt. The Bankruptcy a...; 25 January Electoral reform Bill published
The Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill has been published in the Scottish Parliament. It includes provisions to encourage the piloting of digital polling...; 22 January 2019 Hague Convention signed
The Government has signed the 2019 Hague Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments in Civil or Commercial Matters. The landmark treaty means ...; 18 January Death by driving sentencing guideline now in force
The Scottish Sentencing Council’s new sentencing guideline on death by driving offences came into effect this week. It is the country’s first ever offence ...; 15 January Scottish Employment Injuries Advisory Council Bill
A Holyrood Committee has concluded that reform to the way Scotland manages and delivers benefits related to industrial injuries and ill health at work is needed, but, has...; 11 January Judicial Factors (Scotland) Bill
The Scottish Parliament’s Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee is consulting on the Judicial Factors (Scotland) Bill. A judicial factor is an individual app...; 9 January Appointments to the Sheriff Appeal Court
Four Sheriffs have been appointed to the Sheriff Appeal Court by the Lord President, Lord Carloway. Sheriffs Christopher Shead, Derek O’Carroll, Gregor Mu...
2023: December; 21 December Trusts and Succession Bill passed
Minister for Victims and Community Safety Siobhian Brown has welcomed the Scottish Parliament’s backing for new laws that will prevent killers from acting as an exe...; 19 December The Council Tax (Variation for Unoccupied Dwellings) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2023
New powers enabling councils to charge up to double the full rate of council tax on second homes have been agreed by the Scottish Parliament. Councils will be able to ...; 14 December Increase in support for human rights in Scotland
People in Scotland are more likely to support human rights than not and are increasingly worried about having fewer human rights according to new research published by th...; 12 December United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) Bill
A Bill to provide greater protection of children’s rights has been passed by the Scottish Parliament for a second time. The United Nations Convention on the Righ...; 7 December Judicial Factors Bill introduced
A Bill to reform and modernise the law relating to judicial factors has been published. Judicial factors are appointed by courts to look after property belonging to so...; 5 December Current funding model for justice sector must change, say MSPs
Holyrood’s Criminal Justice Committee has said the funding situation facing the criminal justice sector is unsustainable and a new approach must be adopted. This sh...; November; 30 November Scottish Crime and Justice Survey
The latest Scottish Crime and Justice Survey has been published, showing a substantial drop in the levels of crime since 2008-09. The 2021-22 official statistics show ...; 28 November New Sheriffs appointed
The Scottish Government has announced the appointment of five new Sheriffs, serving Glasgow & Strathkelvin, Lothian & Borders, North Strathclyde and Tayside, Cent...; 23 November Data Protection and Digital Information Bill changes
The Government has tabled changes to the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill, including new powers to require data from third parties, particularly banks and fin...; 21 November Stage 1 report on Wildlife Management & Muirburn (Scotland) Bill
More clarity is needed about how measures proposed in the Wildlife Management & Muirburn (Scotland) Bill would work in practice, says Holyrood’s Rural Affairs &...; 16 November SCTS reports on Summary Case Management pilot
A pilot scheme, introduced at three Scottish courts to improve the processing of summary crime, has led to a third fewer police witnesses being cited in domestic abuse ca...; 14 November Plea surgery success
A new plea surgery at Glasgow Sheriff Court has led to the early resolution of nearly 130 cases, says the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service. The surgery was introd...; 9 November Investigatory Powers Act 2016 reform
The Government has introduced legislation to update the Investigatory Powers Act 2016. The Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Bill was announced in the King’s Speech ...; 7 November Transforming the justice system
The Scottish Government has published its Vision for Justice Delivery Plan, setting out a programme of reforms covering the period to March 2026. The reforms build on ...; 2 November Death by driving sentencing guideline approved by High Court
The Scottish Sentencing Council’s new sentencing guideline on death by driving offences has been approved by the High Court – marking a legal first for Scotla...; October; 31 October Lady Angiolini sworn in as Lord Clerk Register
Lady Elish Angiolini, L.T. has been sworn in as the new Lord Clerk Register of Scotland by the Lord President at a ceremony held in Parliament House. Lady Angiolini is...; 26 October Increase in companies becoming insolvent
The number of Scottish registered companies becoming insolvent or entering receivership increased in the second quarter of 2023-24, according to new figures from Accounta...; 24 October Appointment to the UK Supreme Court
The King has approved the appointment of Lady Justice Simler to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom as a Justice. It was announced last week that Lady Justice Siml...; 19 October Landmark corroboration ruling
A bench of seven judges has issued its opinion in the Lord Advocate’s Reference No 1 of 2023. In Smith v Lees 1997 JC 73 the High Court stated that, where a comp...; 17 October New reporting regulations withdrawn
The Government has withdrawn draft regulations after consultation with companies raised concerns about imposing additional reporting requirements. The draft Companies ...; 12 October Guidance for lawful monitoring in the workplace
The Information Commissioner’s Office has published guidance for employers on monitoring workers lawfully, transparently and fairly. With the rise of remote wor...; 10 October Report on Disabled, Children and Young People (Transitions to Adulthood) (Scotland) Bill
A Bill that seeks to improve disabled children and young people’s transition to adulthood would not fully achieve its aims, according to a new report from Holyrood&...; 5 October Tougher measures to tackle late payments
The Government has announced measures to tackle late payment of invoices to small businesses. It forms part of a wider review on Cash Flow and Prompt Payment, due to be p...; 3 October Agriculture and Rural Communities Bill
The Agriculture and Rural Communities Bill has been introduced into the Scottish Parliament. It will reform the support of farming and food production in Scotland. It wil...; September; 28 September Patient Safety Commissioner Bill passed
The Scottish Government’s Patient Safety Commissioner Bill has been passed unanimously by the Scottish Parliament, paving the way for the appointment of an independ...; 26 September Call for views on The Police (Ethics, Conduct and Scrutiny) (Scotland) Bill
Views are being sought by Holyrood’s Criminal Justice Committee on a new Bill that aims to strengthen public confidence in policing in Scotland and ensure investiga...; 21 September The UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill
The Scottish Parliament last week agreed to consider amendments to the legislation that will incorporate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into Scots law. T...; 19 September Report on Trusts and Succession (Scotland) Bill
Holyrood’s Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee, has published its Stage 1 report on the Trusts and Succession (Scotland) Bill, finding that the new law is ver...; 14 September Fifteen new King's Counsel appointed
Two solicitor advocates are amongst the fifteen new King’s Counsel recently appointed by His Majesty The King on the recommendation of First Minister Humza Yousaf. ...; 12 September Report on threats to the UK’s rule of law
Cross-party legal reform charity, JUSTICE, has published a landmark report describing how the rule of law in the UK has “regressed significantly on multiple fronts&...; August; 24 August Death by driving sentencing guideline finalised
The Scottish Sentencing Council has finalised its first ever offence guideline covering the statutory offences of causing death by driving. Subject to approval by the ...; 22 August Civil Justice System's Pandemic Response
The Scottish Government has published a report on the Civil Justice System's Pandemic Response. It is based on research into the impacts of remote hearings and other ...; 17 August Commission warns of crisis for disabled people’s rights
The Scottish Human Rights Commission, together with a coalition of Scottish Disabled People’s Organisations, has published reports warning that disabled people are ...; 15 August New Sheriffs appointed
Eighteen new Sheriffs have been appointed, serving Glasgow & Strathkelvin, Grampian, Highland and Islands, Lothian & Borders, North Strathclyde, South Strathclyde...; 10 August Legal services reform
A call for views on The Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill has now closed. Holyrood's Equality, Human. Rights and Civil Justice Committee made the c...; 8 August New Sheriff Principal for Tayside, Central and Fife
Gillian Wade KC has been installed as the new Sheriff Principal for Tayside, Central and Fife. The ceremony at Perth Sheriff Court was attended by the Provost of Perth...; 3 August Product safety laws overhaul
The UK’s product safety laws – which are over 30 years old – are set to be overhauled in a bid to make them fit for emerging technologies and new shoppi...; 1 August Court recovery progresses
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service has published figures showing a switch of court recovery resources from summary to solemn. The figures show the volumes of ca...; July; 27 July Bankruptcies and insolvencies up
Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB) has released official statistics reporting statutory debt solutions and company insolvencies in Scotland for the first quarter (April to Ju...; 25 July Swifter sanctions on unpaid child maintenance
New laws were passed last week that should ensure that parents who fail to pay child maintenance will face tougher sanctions faster. The new law will apply to Great Br...; 13 July National Security Bill becomes law
On 11th July, the National Security Bill became law after being passed by both Houses of Parliament and securing Royal Assent. The new Act is intended to bring togethe...; 11 July Welfare of Dogs (Scotland) Bill
Will proposed new laws help to improve the health and welfare of dogs? This is just one of the questions being asked by the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs and ...; 6 July New Sheriff Principal for South Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway
Kate Dowdalls KC has been installed as the new Sheriff Principal of the Sheriffdom of South Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway. Sheriff Principal Dowdalls KC was forma...; 4 July Charities Regulation Bill passed
Last week, the Scottish Parliament voted unanimously to pass the Charities (Regulation and Administration) Bill, which will improve the accountability and transparency of...; June; 29 June Reform of the law of non-monetary securities and sub-securities
The Scottish Law Commission has published a Discussion Paper consulting on reform of the law of securities granted over land and buildings in Scotland. Heritable secur...; 27 June Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Bill
The Scottish Parliament has passed the Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Bill, which aims to change how imprisonment is used in Scotland while ensuring victim...; 22 June Circular Economy Bill published
The Scottish Government last week published the Circular Economy Bill, which is designed to help tackle waste and increase reuse and recycling rates. It will give Mini...; 20 June Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform Bill
The Scottish Parliament's Criminal Justice Committee is calling for views on the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill, which aims to improve th...; 15 June Human Rights Bill consultation
Views are being sought on plans to enshrine international human rights – including the right to health and an adequate standard of living – into Scots law for...; 12 June Report on community sentencing
A report published by the Scottish Sentencing Council has highlighted that public and judicial confidence in community sentencing goes hand in hand with adequate resourci...; 8 June Police (Ethics, Conduct and Scrutiny) (Scotland) Bill
The Police (Ethics, Conduct and Scrutiny) (Scotland) Bill has been introduced to the Scottish Parliament with the aim of ensuring allegations of misconduct are dealt with...; 6 June New Lord Clerk Register of Scotland
Lady Elish Angiolini, L.T., has been appointed as the new Lord Clerk Register of Scotland, the first woman to be appointed to the role. She succeeds the Lord Mackay of...; 1 June Call for views on The Bankruptcy and Diligence Bill
The Scottish Parliamentary Economy and Fair Work Committee has issued a call for views on the Bankruptcy and Diligence Bill. The Bill will, among other provisions, cre...; May; 30 May Appeals on Low Emission Zones penalty notices
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service has announced that the Transport Appeals jurisdiction of the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland General Regulatory Chamber will he...; 25 May Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill
A Bill to enable councils to invest more in local tourism facilities and services through a levy on overnight stays has been published. If passed by the Scottish Parli...; 23 May New Senator and new Sheriff Principal
The former Sheriff Principal of Glasgow and Strathkelvin, Craig Turnbull, was last week installed as a Senator of the College of Justice. Lord Colbeck was appointed S...; 18 May Children (Care and Justice) Scotland Bill
A Scottish Parliamentary Committee has said it recognises the strong support for the principle that young people aged 18 or under should no longer be held in a young offe...; 16 May Charities Bill passes first stage
MSPs have voted to support the general principles of the Charities (Regulation and Administration) Bill, which aims to improve accountability and transparency of cha...; 11 May New President and Vice President of Sheriff Appeal Court
Following the upcoming retirement of Sheriff Principal Marysia Lewis and Sheriff Principal Craig Turnbull’s appointment as a Senator of the College of Justice, the ...; 9 May Moveable Transactions Bill passed
The Scottish Parliament has passed The Moveable Transactions (Scotland) Bill, which aims to make it easier for businesses to raise finance, enable them to borrow against ...; April; 27 April The Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill
The Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill has been introduced to the Scottish Parliament, aiming to ensure that victims are treated with compassion and th...; 25 April Legal services reform
Legal sector reforms, including proposals to simplify the complaints process for consumers and legal professionals, have been published in a Bill introduced to the Scotti...; 20 April SCTS’ new Civil Online platform
Just a reminder that solicitors and legal firms are being invited to attend a demonstration of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service’s new Civil Online platform...; 18 April New data laws debated in Parliament
The Data Protection and Digital Information Bill was debated in Parliament yesterday. The Bill is designed to help fix problems for the public such as reducing cookie ...; 13 April Building Families through Surrogacy: A New Law
Late last month the Scottish Law Commission and the Law Commission published their joint report, Building Families through Surrogacy: A New Law. The Report, which con...; 11 April New crackdown on fraud
The Home Office plans to introduce a new offence across the UK that will make it easier to prosecute a large organisation if an employee commits fraud for the organisatio...; 6 April New President of the Scottish Tribunals
The President of the Scottish Tribunals, Lord Woolman, will step down from the role on 30th April 2023, before his upcoming retirement in May 2023. Lady Wise, Senator of ...; 4 April MSPs seek views on Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill
Holyrood’s Rural Affairs & Islands Committee has launched a call for views on measures to address wildlife crime, tackle raptor persecution and manage grouse mo...; March; 30 March New Local Taxation Chamber from 1st April
A new First-tier Tribunal to deal with Local Taxation appeals will be established on 1st April 2023. The First-tier Tribunal for Scotland Local Taxation Chamber will take...; 28 March Government reviews whistleblowing laws
The Government has launched a review of the whistleblowing framework, gathering evidence on the effectiveness of the current regime in enabling workers to speak up about ...; 23 March The Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill
A new Bill to protect the environment and tackle the persecution of birds of prey has been published. The Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill aims to: end rap...; 21 March New Civil Online portal
Solicitors and legal sector workers are being invited to attend a demonstration of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service’s new Civil Online platform. The new...; 16 March The Data Protection and Digital Information Bill
The Data Protection and Digital Information Bill has been re-introduced by the Government into Parliament. The Bill will set up the UK version of the GDPR system. The ...; 14 March Report on Bail and Release Bill
The Scottish Parliamentary Criminal Justice Committee has published a report on the Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Bill. Despite members agreeing that there ...; 9 March Misogyny law consultation
Misogynistic harassment could become a criminal offence as part of proposals aimed at providing greater protection for women and girls in Scotland. A consultation has ...; 7 March JCHR report on Strikes Bill
Government plans to impose minimum service levels on public services during strike action are likely to be incompatible with human rights law in their current form, the H...; 2 March The Repairing Standard – Statutory Guidance for Private Landlords
Guidance setting out private rented sector landlords’ responsibilities for ensuring their property meets updated standards has been published. From 1st March 202...; February; 28 February Recorded crime decrease
Scotland’s Chief Statistician has released new recorded crime figures for the year ending December 2022. These show that Scotland saw a 2% fall in the number of cri...; 23 February Diversion from prosecution review
The Lord Advocate has welcomed a review of diversion from prosecution in Scotland which has concluded the practice is working well and developing in a positive direction....; 21 February Lord Duthie installed as Chair of Scottish Land Court
The new Chair of the Scottish Land Court has been installed at a ceremony in George House, Edinburgh. Euan Duthie KC took up the role on 9th January following the reti...; 16 February Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Bill
Earlier this month, the Government supported Blackpool South MP Scott Benton’s Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Bill, which will bring forward huge change...; 14 February Flexible planning rules
Hospitality businesses will be able to place tables and chairs on the pavement outside their premises without submitting a planning application under measures expected to...; 9 February Consultation opens on additional properties tax
Councils would no longer pay a tax on additional properties when buying affordable housing stock, under proposals in a new consultation. Changes to the Additional Dwel...; 7 February Views sought on proposed changes to young people’s criminal justice system
Changes to the care of children and the involvement of children in the criminal justice system are to come under scrutiny at the Scottish Parliament. The Education, Ch...; 2 February New anti-money laundering laws
Overseas companies owning UK land who have not registered their beneficial owners with Companies House could now face penalties such as sale restrictions and tough fines,...; January; 31 January Joint Committee report on the Bill of Rights Bill 
The Government’s proposals to replace the Human Rights Act and change how human rights are protected in the UK would create large scale uncertainty and seriously da...; 25 January Hunting with Dogs Bill passed
New legislation to prevent the chasing and killing of wild mammals for sport has been passed by the Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Government’s Hunting with D...; 24 January New Senator and three Sheriffs Principal appointed
The appointments of a new Senator of the College of Justice and three Sheriffs Principal have been announced. Sheriff Principal Craig Turnbull will take up post as a ...; 19 January Beneficial impact of new domestic abuse powers
Research has shown that extending laws to include emotional and psychological abuse has had a beneficial impact. By recognising abuse as a pattern of behaviour, the Do...; 17 January Section 35 order for Gender Recognition Reform Bill
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack has made an order under section 35 of the Scotland Act 1998, preventing the Scottish Parliament’s Gender Recognition Reform (Scotlan...; 12 January New chair of Scottish Land Court
Sheriff C Euan Duthie KC has been nominated as the new chair of the Scottish Land Court. Sheriff Duthie is a sheriff at Perth Sheriff Court who has been a KC (previous...; 10 January Views sought on trusts and succession proposals
Scots are being invited to share their views on the Scottish Government’s Trusts and Succession (Scotland) Bill. The Scottish Parliament’s Delegated Powers an...; 6 January New proposals to deal with industrial action
The Government has confirmed that it is to introduce new laws to ensure a basic level of service in some of our most crucial sectors when industrial action takes place. ...; 4 January Gender Recognition Reform Bill passed
The Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill was passed by the Scottish Parliament late last year. The legislation changes the system by which transgender people can ...
2022: December; 21 December Clear view not possible on National Care Service
A Committee of MSPs at the Scottish Parliament have reported their dissatisfaction with the lack of information about proposals that could see children’s health and...; 20 December Electoral reform consultation
Expanding candidacy rights to 16 and 17 year olds is one of a number of electoral reforms being considered in a Scottish Government consultation launched last week. Fo...; 15 December The Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Bill
No child aged under 18 will be sent to a young offenders institution under legislation that has been introduced to the Scottish Parliament. The Children (Care and Just...; 13 December Views sought on Bill to strengthen charity regulator
Proposals that would see the powers of Scotland’s charity regulator strengthened are to be considered by the Scottish Parliament’s Social Justice and Social S...; 8 December The Moveable Transactions (Scotland) Bill
The Scottish Parliament’s Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee has published its Stage 1 report on The Moveable Transactions (Scotland) Bill. The Bill is in...; 6 December The right to request flexible working
Millions of employees will be able to request flexible working from day one of their employment, under new government plans to make flexible working the default. Flexi...; 1 December Improving access to public information
The public and organisations are being asked to give their views on improving access to information about public services. The Access to Information Rights in S...; November; 29 November More choice for people experiencing homelessness
People experiencing homelessness in Scotland will have the ability to settle and access support wherever they choose under legislation coming into force today. People ...; 24 November Modernising Scots law on Trusts
A new Bill that will consolidate, reform and modernise long-standing laws governing the operation of trusts in Scotland has been published by the Scottish Parliament. ...; 22 November Plans for additional trial courts by April 2023
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service has announced that, due to the progress being made on reducing summary case backlogs, adjustments to the court recovery programm...; 16 November Charities Bill published
The Scottish Government has published The Charities (Regulation and Administration) Bill, which aims to increase transparency and accountability and improve the powers of...; 15 November New commercial courts
Dedicated courts dealing with commercial disputes are to be established at Hamilton and Airdrie Sheriff Courts. Sheriffs Millar and Small (Hamilton) and Sheriffs Thoms...; 3 November Report on cohabitation law
The Scottish Law Commission has published a report recommending changes to cohabitation law in Scotland. Many thousands of couples in Scotland live together in committ...; 1 November Call for views on Patient Safety Commissioner
The Holyrood Health, Social Care and Sport Committee is calling for views on a Scottish Government Bill that proposes the establishment of a new Patient Safety Commission...; October; 27 October Wildlife Management Bill
The Scottish Government is consulting on new proposals that will form a new Wildlife Management (Grouse Moor) Bill, which aims to ensure that grouse moors are managed in ...; 25 October SSC publishes report on fraud sentencing
The Scottish Sentencing Council has published a new literature review on the sentencing of fraud offences in Scotland. The review was carried out by a group of expert aca...; 20 October New rules for Defended Family and Civil Partnership Actions
The Act of Sederunt (Ordinary Cause Rules 1993 Amendment) (Case Management of Defended Family and Civil Partnership Actions) 2022 (S.S.I 2022/289) was laid before the Sco...; 18 October New guidance on electronic submission of documents
New guidance on electronic submission of documents has been produced by the Sheriffs Principal in order to achieve a consistency of approach across sheriff courts. Acc...; 13 October SSC report on sentencing assault offences
The Scottish Sentencing Council has published a new literature review on the sentencing of assault offences. The review was carried out by a group of expert academics fro...; 11 October Tenant Protection Bill passed
Tenants will have increased protection from rent increases and evictions during the cost of living crisis under temporary legislation passed by the Scottish Parliament. ...; 6 October SLC Report on Aspects of Leases: Termination
The Scottish Law Commission has published a Report recommending a new set of rules for the ending of leases of commercial property in Scotland, replacing the existing com...; 4 October Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Bill
Emergency legislation has been laid before the Scottish Parliament, seeking to increase protection for tenants from rent rises and eviction action during the cost of livi...; September; 29 September Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill
Holyrood’s Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee has concluded its scrutiny of the Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill. In its newly published repo...; 27 September The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill
The Government has introduced The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill into Parliament, with the aim of strengthening the UK’s reputation as a place where...; 22 September Robust prosecution for crimes of domestic abuse
The Lord Advocate has renewed her pledge to tackle the traumatising crimes of domestic abuse and stalking with robust prosecution of offenders. She made the commitment...; 22 September Call for views on justice sector spending
The Scottish Parliament’s Criminal Justice Committee has issued a call for views on the difficult spending decisions ahead for the justice sector in the next few ye...; 14 September Queen Elizabeth II, 1926 - 2022
We were deeply saddened to hear of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. We offer our condolences to the Royal Family, and our thoughts are with them at this sad t...; 8 September Eighteen new Bills announced
The Scottish Government has revealed its 2022-23 Programme for Government, including plans for 18 new Bills. Centrepiece of the programme is a combined rent freeze and...; 6 September New sheriffs appointed
Eleven new sheriffs have been appointed to serve the sheriffdoms of Glasgow and Strathkelvin, Grampian, Highland and Islands, North Strathclyde, South Strathclyde, Dumfri...; 1 September SSC consults on causing death by driving
The Scottish Sentencing Council is holding a public consultation on Scotland’s first offence guideline, covering offences of causing death by driving. The draft ...; August; 30 August New recorded crime statistics
Scotland’s Chief Statistician has released Recorded Crime in Scotland, year ending June 2022. It is the first publication of quarterly statistics on police recorded...; 29 August Progressing the Agriculture Bill
The Scottish Government has launched a consultation on its forthcoming Agriculture Bill. The Scottish Government climate change plan has committed to reducing agricult...; 23 August SSC report on indecent images of children offences
The Scottish Sentencing Council has published a new literature review on offences involving indecent images of children (IIOC). The literature review, carried out by e...; 18 August New appointments to the Supreme Court
The Queen has approved the re-appointment of Lord Lloyd-Jones and the appointment of Sir David Richards as Justices of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. Sir Dav...; 16 August Senator appointment
Sheriff Principal Craig Turnbull, Sheriff Principal of Glasgow and Strathkelvin, has been appointed as a Senator of the College of Justice. The appointment was required t...; 4 August Progressing the New Civil Procedure Rules
The Scottish Civil Justice Council has published its New Civil Procedure Rules – Second Report, part of a comprehensive rewrite of the rules governing how civil lit...; 2 August The Register of Overseas Entities now live
A new register has been launched with the aim of helping to root out corrupt elites using UK property to launder their illicit wealth. The Register of Overseas Entitie...; July; 28 July The FCA’s Consumer Duty
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has confirmed its plans to bring in a new Consumer Duty, which will fundamentally improve how firms serve consumers. It will set hig...; 26 July Survey on proposed Bill of Rights
The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights has launched a survey on ‘Should the Human Rights Act be replaced with a Bill of Rights?’ It follows the...; 21 July New guidance on proceedings in the Sheriff Court
The Sheriffs Principal have issued new guidance for court users on proceedings in the Sheriff Courts. The guidance will supersede and replace the guidance which was issue...; 19 July New temporary judges appointed
Four temporary judges have been appointed in order to help deal with jury trials in the High Court. Sheriff Alasdair MacFadyen, Sheriff Andrew Miller, Sheriff Susan Cr...; 14 July Child welfare hearings in the Sheriff Courts
Child welfare hearings should call in person in Sheriff Courts, according to new guidance produced by the Sheriffs Principal. The Judiciary of Scotland website reveals...; 12 July Not Proven Consultation responses
An independent analysis report has been published on Scotland’s Not Proven Verdict and Related Reforms Consultation. The Consultation received 200 responses from...; 7 July Proposals for land reform
The Scottish Government is seeking views on ambitious proposals for its new Land Reform Bill, which will be introduced by the end of 2023. The Bill aims to address lon...; 5 July Bail and Release from Custody Bill
MSPs on the Scottish Parliament’s Criminal Justice Committee are to examine plans put forward by the Scottish Government that would overhaul systems in place around...; June; 30 June Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Bill passes
The Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Bill has been passed by the Scottish Parliament . The new Act will introduce a fireworks licensing system, with mandator...; 28 June National Care Service Bill published
Legislation to establish a National Care Service for Scotland (NCS) has been published. The National Care Service Bill will make Scottish Ministers accountable for adult ...; 16 June Plans to modernise Consumer Credit Act
The Government has announced plans to modernise consumer credit laws to cut costs for businesses and simplify rules for consumers. A consultation on the direction o...; 13 June Candidacy rights for foreign nationals
The Scottish Parliament has passed an electoral reform Bill that will allow nationals from countries where a relevant treaty has been agreed, including Luxembourg, Poland...; 9 June Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Bill published
New legislation that proposes changes to the way imprisonment is used in Scotland - while placing victims at its heart - has been published. The Bail and Release from ...; 7 June SCTS Caveat Portal
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service has announced that it is developing a service that will allow solicitors to complete an online form to lodge a caveat. A cave...; 2 June Restorative justice launch
Justice Secretary Keith Brown has welcomed the launch of two hubs that will pave the way for restorative justice services to be rolled out across Scotland. The new Nat...; May; 31 May The Moveable Transactions (Scotland) Bill
Legislation to support smaller businesses to raise finance, helping them maintain income and address rising business costs, has been published. The Moveable Transactio...; 26 May Jurors to return to courtrooms
As COVID restrictions have eased and the rates of infection reduced substantially, the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service has announced that It will shortly begin ...; 24 May Police complaints and misconduct
The Scottish Government has launched a 12-week consultation on a proposed Police Complaints, Investigations and Misconduct Bill. It follows the recommendations of an...; 19 May New senators installed at ceremonies in Parliament House
Five new senators of the College of Justice have been installed at individual ceremonies in Parliament House, Edinburgh. Andrew Young QC, Jonathan Lake QC, Sheriff Lor...; 17 May Victims’ consultation launches
A consultation on improving victims’ experiences of the justice system, with a particular focus on sexual offences, has opened. The consultation takes forward t...; 12 May Streamlining planning processes
As part of its Permitted Development Rights review, the Scottish Government is consulting on measures that would save applicants the time and expense of applying for plan...; 10 May SLC consults on areas to look at next
The Scottish Law Commission is seeking views on which areas of Scots law are most in need of reform. Reform may be needed because the law is causing difficulties in ...; 5 May Solicitor Advocate among new judges appointed
Five new senators have been appointed to the College of Justice, including Solicitor Advocate John Scott QC, President of the Society of Solicitor Advocates. Sheriff L...; 3 May MSPs seek improvements to proposed firework restrictions
The Scottish Parliament’s Criminal Justice Committee has backed the general principles of the Fireworks and Pyrotechnics Bill “on balance”. The supp...; April; 27 April BSL Bill set to clear final stage
Tens of thousands of British Sign Language (BSL) users are anticipating a momentous day today as a Bill that will see BSL become a recognised language in Britain is expec...; 26 April Proposals for new Bill to tackle misogyny
The public is to be consulted on laws to criminalise misogynistic conduct, says the Scottish Government. The plans for future legislation are part of the official respons...; 21 April New President and Vice-President of the Sheriff Appeal Court appointed
Following the upcoming retirements of Sheriff Principal Mhairi Stephen and Sheriff Principal Duncan Murray, the Lord President, Lord Carloway, has appointed Sheriff Princ...; 19 April Second reading for Online Safety Bill
The Online Safety Bill returns to the Commons this week for its second reading. The Bill requires social media platforms, search engines and other apps and websites allow...; 14 April Children’s Care and Justice Bill
The Scottish Government is consulting on proposals that will inform the Children’s Care and Justice Bill, which it committed to in the current Programme for Governm...; 12 April Register of Persons Holding a Controlled Interest in Land
Registers of Scotland has launched a new register - The Register of Persons Holding a Controlled Interest in Land (RCI) – that will allow communities and indi...; 7 April Inquiry into the Hunting with Dogs Scotland Bill
An inquiry to consider new legislation to protect foxes, hares and other wild animals from being hunted by packs of dogs, has been launched by the Rural Affairs, Islands ...; 5 April MSPs look at Coronavirus (Recovery and Reform) Bill
The Scottish Parliament’s Criminal Justice Committee has set out its views on the proposed extension of temporary changes to the justice system in the Scottish Gove...; March; 24 March The Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act
The new Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act received Royal Assent last week. Finally introduced following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the legislatio...; 22 March British Sign Language Bill
The Government has reaffirmed its commitment to improving accessibility for D/deaf people, by backing the latest stage of the British Sign Language Bill. The Bill, a P...; 17 March Online Safety Bill introduced
The Online Safety Bill will be introduced in Parliament today, bringing internet users one step closer to a safer online environment. The Bill marks a milestone in the...; 15 March Digital identity proposals
The Government has published its response to a public consultation on digital identities, promising to introduce legislation to make digital identities as trusted and sec...; 10 March Changes to the Online Safety Bill
The Government has announced that it is adding a new duty to the Online Safety Bill, which will bring fraudulent paid-for adverts on social media and search engines into ...; 8 March Working Group on Misogyny and Criminal Justice in Scotland
Justice Secretary Keith Brown has welcomed publication of Baroness Helena Kennedy QC’s report on Misogyny and Criminal Justice in Scotland. Mr Brown thanked Baro...; 3 March Gender Recognition Reform Bill
New legislation to improve the system through which transgender people can gain legal recognition has been published. The Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill wi...; 1 March Hunting with Dogs Bill
The Scottish Government has introduced a new Hunting with Dogs Bill into the Scottish Parliament. The Bill will replace existing legislation in this area, making the law ...; February; 24 February Discussion Paper on damages for personal injury
The Scottish Law Commission has published a Discussion Paper on Damages for Personal Injury. Comments are sought by 15th June. Damages for personal injury are a sensit...; 22 February Proposals to reform business competition exemptions
The Government is consulting on the wording of a new law that will replace EU rules exempting businesses from competition law in certain circumstances. The EU rules expir...; 17 February Government backs British Sign Language Bill
The Government last month backed a Bill to make British Sign Language (BSL) a recognised language in the UK and help deaf people play a more prominent role in society. ...; 15 February Proposals to restrict fireworks to be examined by MSPs
Plans announced by the Scottish Government to restrict the public’s use of fireworks will be considered by the Scottish Parliament’s Criminal Justice Committe...; 10 February New vision for justice
The Scottish Government has published a new strategy designed to transform Scotland’s justice sector through the COVID-19 recovery period and beyond. The new str...; 8 February MSPs seek views on COVID Recovery Bill
A call for views into the Coronavirus (Recovery and Reform) (Scotland) Bill has been launched by several Scottish Parliament Committees. The wide-ranging Scottish Gov...; 3 February ECHR time-limit changes
The time limit for submitting an application to the European Court of Human Rights changed on 1st February. It is now four months following the final domestic judicial de...; 1 February Report on self-driving vehicles
The Law Commission of England and Wales and the Scottish Law Commission have published a joint report, making recommendations for the safe and responsible introduction of...; January; 27 January Sentencing young people guideline in effect
A new sentencing guideline developed by the Scottish Sentencing Council is now in effect. The sentencing young people guideline applies to the sentencing of those who are...; 25 January Report calls for domestic abuse online courts
The Virtual Trials National Project Board has issued its report on the piloting of virtual summary trials, recommending that specialist online courts be set up to tackle ...; 19 January Short-term lets legislation approved
All short-term let properties will require a licence to ensure they are safe and the people providing them are suitable, under legislation approved by the Scottish Parlia...; 18 January SLC to look at compulsory owners’ associations
The Scottish Law Commission has announced a review of the law in relation to compulsory owners’ associations for tenement properties. It follows a reference from th...; 13 January New Part-time Sheriffs and Part-time Summary Sheriffs
The Scottish Government has announced the appointment of fifteen new part-time sheriffs and seventeen new part-time summary sheriffs. Scottish Ministers have appointed...; 11 January MSPs plan for urgent reforms across Justice Sector
The Scottish Parliament’s Criminal Justice Committee has published a report looking at some of the short and long-term changes it wants to see made in the Scottish ...
2021: December; 23 December Lord Advocate announces sexual crime prosecution review
The Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain QC has ordered a review of how prosecutors deal with reports of sexual offences. She announced the review in an evidence session at the Cri...; 21 December SLC consults on heritable securities
The Scottish Law Commission has published a second Discussion Paper consulting on reform of the law of securities granted over land and buildings in Scotland. A herita...; 16 December Consultation on draft Leases (Automatic Continuation etc.) (Scotland) Bill
The Scottish Law Commission is consulting on the draft Leases (Automatic Continuation etc.) (Scotland) Bill, to help finalise its report on the termination of commercial ...; 14 December Not proven consultation opens
A consultation seeking views on Scotland’s not proven verdict and related reforms has opened. The consultation on Scotland’s unique three verdict system wi...; 9 December Three judges appointed to the Inner House
Lord Tyre, Lord Boyd and Lady Wise have been appointed to the First Division of the Inner House of the Court of Session and will take up their appointment from 5th Januar...; 7 December Miners’ Strike (Pardons) (Scotland) Bill
A Bill that would pardon miners convicted of offences during the 1984-1985 miners’ strike is to be scrutinised by a Scottish Parliament Committee. The Equalities...; 2 December The Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill
A new law, introduced to Parliament this week, will require manufacturers, importers and distributors of digital tech that connects to the internet to make sure they meet...; November; 30 November Commitment to future Citizens’ Assemblies
The Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland model should be embedded in Scottish politics to give members of the public a direct role in future decision-making, the Scottish...; 25 November Licensing short-term lets
Councils will be given powers to ensure short-term lets are safe and meet the needs of their local communities under legislation laid before the Scottish Parliament. U...; 23 November MSPs call for reforms to justice system
The Scottish Parliament’s Criminal Justice Committee is calling for comprehensive reforms to be made in the justice system, as well as more money for the sector, ah...; 18 November Court of Session live streaming
The Lord President, Lord Carloway, has granted permission for an appeal of international significance to be live streamed by the Court of Session. It is the first time an...; 16 November Use of bail and remand consultation
The Scottish Government has launched a consultation on how to improve the way bail and prison custody operates in Scotland. Specifically, it will look at how custody ...; 11 November Approval for sentencing guideline
The High Court of Justiciary has approved a new sentencing guideline developed by the Scottish Sentencing Council, which seeks to reduce reoffending among young people. ...; 9 November Court safety measures and guidance
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service has confirmed that it will maintain all existing Covid safety measures for the next three months – until the end of Januar...; 4 November SSC report on community sentences
The Scottish Sentencing Council has published a paper highlighting obstacles to the use of community sentences and suggesting a range of actions that might improve judici...; 2 November Historic miners’ pardon Bill published
A new Bill to pardon former miners convicted of certain offences related to strike action in the 1980s has been published. The Miners’ Strike (Pardons) (Scotland...; October; 28 October Bankruptcies down, personal insolvencies up
Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB) has released official statistics on statutory debt solutions and company insolvencies in Scotland for the second quarter (July to September...; 26 October Scottish homicide statistics
Scotland’s Chief Statistician has published Homicide in Scotland, 2020-21, which provides information on crimes of homicide recorded by the police in Scotland in 20...; 21 October Fewer Scottish FOI requests
The Scottish Information Commissioner has published his Annual Report and Accounts for the year 2020-21, revealing a decrease in Freedom of Information requests over the ...; 19 October Sustainability Disclosure Requirements
Certain large businesses will need to set out their green credentials to potential investors under new world-leading reporting rules outlined by the Chancellor. The ne...; 14 October Update on COP26 contingency planning
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service has issued an update of its plans for the management of court operations during the United Nations Conference of the Partie...; 12 October Good Food Nation Bill Introduced
Health boards and local authorities will develop plans to help ensure good quality, locally sourced and produced food is a practical everyday reality for everyone, under ...; 7 October New figures show increase in reconvictions
The latest reconviction statistics for the 2018-19 offender cohort have been published by Scotland’s Chief Statistician. The figures show that reconvictions have in...; 5 October Regulation of legal services - consultation
The Scottish Government has published a consultation on a new system for regulating the legal sector in Scotland. It looks at options to change the way legal services are...; September; 30 September Better protection for animals
Legislation has come in to effect today that will enable animals taken into possession to protect their welfare to be rehomed far more efficiently. Before today, anima...; 28 September Recorded crime remains at low levels
Recorded crime remains at one of the lowest levels in nearly 50 years, according to the latest annual statistics. These show that the total number of crimes recorded by P...; 23 September Consultation on flexible working
The Government has launched a consultation on plans to reform the rules around flexible working, including making the right to request flexible working a day one entitlem...; 21 September MSPs look at funding for criminal justice
MSPs on the Scottish Parliament’s Criminal Justice Committee are to examine all areas of the Scottish Government’s criminal justice budget in the coming weeks...; 16 September New guideline on the sentencing of young people
Following consultation, the Scottish Sentencing Council has finalised a new guideline on the sentencing of young people. The ‘Sentencing young people’ guid...; 14 September Reform of Information Commissioner’s Office
The Government is consulting on plans to reform the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as part of proposed changes to the UK’s data landscape. A new g...; 9 September Scottish Land Court and Lands Tribunal for Scotland to be unified
The Scottish Government has announced that the Scottish Land Court and the Lands Tribunal for Scotland should be unified to form an expanded Land Court, which would offer...; 7 September Recovery programme courts come into operation
Additional courts have started operating around the country as part of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) Courts Recovery Programme. The additional court...; 2 September Mandatory Civil Online for simple procedure extended
The Court of Session has made an Act of Sederunt extending for a further six months the requirement for simple procedure claims to be submitted online. This means that...; August; 31 August Preferred candidate for Information Commissioner announced
The Government has announced that the current New Zealand Privacy Commissioner, John Edwards, is its preferred candidate for Information Commissioner. John Edwards wil...; 19 August Report on the sentencing of young people
The Scottish Sentencing Council has published a report from the University of the West of Scotland that explored the attitudes of young people to sentencing. The ...; 17 August Consultation on COVID Recovery legislative reform
The Scottish Government has launched a consultation on legislative reform to support Scotland’s recovery from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The consultati...; 12 August Draft international data transfer agreement – consultation
The Information Commissioner’s Office has launched a public consultation on its draft international data transfer agreement (IDTA) and guidance. When organisatio...; 10 August Consultation on National Care Service
A consultation has been launched to seek the public’s views ahead of the creation of a National Care Service, which will ensure everyone who needs it can expect the...; 5 August The Legal Aid Business Support and Recovery Fund
The Scottish Government has launched a new fund worth £6.7 million to support legal aid firms. The deadline for applications is 18th August. The Legal Aid Busine...; 3 August Lift off for UK spaceflight as regulations passed
The Government has announced that another step towards space exploration from UK soil has been unlocked, with the passing of the spaceflight regulations. The legislati...; July; 29 July Digital identity proposals
The Government has published plans to create a new system to make digital identities as trusted and secure as official documents, such as passports. Digital identities...; 27 July Helping siblings in care stay together
Legislation that aims to help siblings in care stay together is now in force. Part 13 of the Children (Scotland) Act 2020 and the Looked After Children (Scotland) Amen...; 15 July Approval for sentencing guideline
The High Court of Justiciary has approved a new sentencing guideline developed by the Scottish Sentencing Council, aimed at increasing public knowledge and understanding ...; 13 July Perceptions of sentencing of sexual offences
The Scottish Sentencing Council has published research looking at public perceptions of the sentencing of sexual offences in Scotland, including the perceptions of surviv...; 8 July COP26 contingency planning for courts
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service has advised that there might be changes to court operations during the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP26) to be he...; 6 July Elections Bill introduced in Parliament
The controversial Elections Bill has been introduced into Parliament. The Bill includes measures that will require voters to show an approved form of photographic identif...; 1 July Civil partnerships for all couples
Couples across Scotland are now able to enter mixed-sex civil partnerships, after new regulations came into force. Both mixed sex and same sex couples can now choose to m...; June; 29 June Consultation on licensing order for short term lets
The Scottish Government has announced the publication of a draft licensing order for consultation, ahead of laying the final legislation at the Scottish Parliament in Sep...; 24 June Domestic abuse statistics
New statistics show that the number of incidents of domestic abuse recorded by the police in 2019-20 increased by 4% on the previous year. The statistics covers the f...; 22 June Fireworks and Pyrotechnics Bill
A consultation on new legislation on the sale and use of fireworks and tackling the misuse of pyrotechnics has been published. The proposed Fireworks and Pyrotechnics ...; 17 June Law Officer appointments
The First Minister has lodged a motion in the Scottish Parliament seeking agreement to recommend to HM The Queen that Dorothy Bain QC and Ruth Charteris QC be appointed a...; 15 June Report on hate crime in Scotland
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has published a report on hate crime in Scotland that reveals there has been an increase of 4% in the total number of charg...; 10 June Consultation on exhaustion of IP rights
The UK Government has launched a consultation on the UK’s future regime for exhaustion of intellectual property (IP) rights. Exhaustion of IP rights is the ...; 8 June New workers’ watchdog to be created
The Government has announced that a powerful new workers’ watchdog will be created to protect the rights of UK workers. Responsibility for tackling modern slaver...; 3 June Latest statistics on Sheriff and Jury trials
New figures from the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service show that despite the challenging conditions due to the pandemic and the lockdown during the early part of 2021...; 1 June Trade Remedies Authority launched
The Trade Remedies Authority (TRA), a new independent body with powers to help defend UK economic interests from unfair international trading practices, has launched. The...; May; 27 May SLC Discussion Paper on the Mental Element in Homicide
The Scottish Law Commission has published a Discussion Paper on the Mental Element in Homicide, considering whether and how proposals for improving and modernising the la...; 25 May Rise of remand in Scotland
Howard League Scotland has published a briefing paper that looks at the rise in the use of remand in Scotland over the Covid-19 pandemic. The Scandal of Remand in Scot...; 20 May April Criminal Case throughput
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service has published statistics showing the throughput of criminal cases in the High Court, Sheriff Court and Justice of the Peac...; 18 May Criminal Proceedings in Scotland 2019-20
Statistics published by Scotland’s Chief Statistician show that the total number of people proceeded against in Scottish courts fell by four percent to 85,726 in th...; 13 May Draft Online Safety Bill published
The draft Online Safety Bill has been published. The draft Bill is designed to protect children online and tackle some of the worst abuses on social media, including raci...; 11 May Changes to SCTS Online Document Submission
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service has announced changes to Civil Online, the online document submission facility that allows users to manage Simple Procedure clai...; 6 May Top ten Session Cases
Donoghue v Stevenson 1932 SC (HL) 31 is officially top of a poll of cases reported in the Session Cases law reports, which celebrates its bi-centenary this year. To ma...; 4 May National Security and Investment Act
A Bill to strengthen the Government’s ability to investigate and intervene in mergers, acquisitions and other deals that could threaten UK national security was gra...; April; 29 April Civil Justice Statistics
The Scottish Civil Justice Statistics for 2019-20 have been published, revealing a 3% increase in cases initiated across the Court of Session and sheriff courts over the ...; 22 April Latest statistics on Criminal Case throughput
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service has published the latest statistics on the throughput of criminal cases in the High Court, Sheriff Court and Justice of th...; 21 April New cyber security laws to protect smart devices
Makers of smart devices including phones, speakers, and doorbells will need to tell customers upfront how long a product will be guaranteed to receive vital security upda...; 15 April New watchdog to boost online competition
A tough new regulator to help make sure tech giants such as Facebook and Google cannot exploit their market dominance to crowd out competition and stifle innovation onlin...; 13 April Summary Criminal Business to resume
The Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service has confirmed that the scheduled resumption of Sheriff Court summary criminal business will go ahead from Monday 19th April. ...; 8 April Criminal Court Recovery Planning
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service has given an update on its plans to commence a court recovery programme from September 2021, which will include the expansion of...; March; 30 March Reforming the audit and corporate governance regime
The Government recently launched a consultation on wide-ranging reforms to modernise the country’s audit and corporate governance regime The Government says that...; 25 March Specialist sexual offences Court recommended
A cross-justice Review Group has recommended that a new, national specialist Court with trauma-informed procedures be created to deal with serious sexual offence cases. ...; 23 March Reducing the trials backlog
The Criminal Justice Board is developing proposals to recover, renew and transform Scotland’s justice system in the wake of the extensive disruption caused by the C...; 18 March The Domestic Abuse (Protection) (Scotland) Bill
MSPs have passed The Domestic Abuse (Protection) (Scotland) Bill, which will give more powers to police and courts to protect people at risk of domestic abuse. The Bil...; 16 March New Human Rights Bill
Plans to introduce world-leading human rights legislation in Scotland have been announced by Equalities Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville. Subject to the outcome of th...; 12 March Hate Crime Bill passed
The Scottish Parliament has passed the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill. The legislation will modernise, consolidate and extend existing hate crime law, ens...; 9 March New appointment to the UK Supreme Court and JCPC
Lady Justice Rose will join the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom as a Justice on 13th April, it has been announced. The appointment follows the retirement of Lady Blac...; 4 March Defamation and Malicious Publication Bill
The Defamation and Malicious Publication (Scotland) Bill has been passed by the Scottish Parliament, setting out the definition of what constitutes a defamatory statement...; 2 March Jury trials underway across Scotland
Sheriff and jury criminal trials are now proceeding across Scotland with the last remote jury centres opened to serve Aberdeen and Inverness Sheriff Courts. The progra...; February; 25 February The Heat Networks (Scotland) Bill
Legislation that will help cut emissions, reduce fuel poverty and create green jobs by accelerating the deployment of heat networks, has been passed unanimously by the Sc...; 23 February Report on hate crime
The Scottish Government has published a new report into the extent of hate crimes committed in Scotland. The report has highlighted that almost two-thirds of all race-rel...; 18 February Public perceptions of sentencing for death by driving offences
The Scottish Sentencing Council has published research into public perceptions of sentencing for causing death by driving offences in Scotland. Members of the public, ...; 16 February Transparency of land ownership
The Scottish Parliament has passed The Register of Persons Holding a Controlled Interest in Land regulations, which will allow for the creation of a public register of th...; 11 February Legal Aid Resilience Fund
The Scottish Government has announced that a coronavirus resilience fund for legal aid firms and law centres, worth up to £9 million, has opened for applications. ...; 9 February Modernising land ownership in Scotland
The Scottish Land Commission has published a Discussion Paper that proposes three new legislative measures to modernise land ownership in Scotland. According to the C...; 4 February Reports on sentencing for rape and sexual assault
The Scottish Sentencing Council has published two new research reports as part of its development of sentencing guidelines for the offences of rape, sexual assault and in...; 2 February Community Payback Orders
The Scottish Government is laying regulations in respect of Community Payback Orders (CPOs), after concerns that they are being impacted by Covid restrictions. Public ...; January; 28 January Review of access to land for digital infrastructure
The Government is consulting on changes to the legal framework for agreements on access to land for digital infrastructure. According to the Government, while progress...; 26 January Restarting Sheriff Court Jury Trials
Jury trials will be restarted in every Sheriffdom in Scotland by the end of February, according to the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service. The SCTS last week confir...; 22 January Justice Committee considers Domestic Abuse Bill
The Scottish Parliament’s Justice Committee has backed the underlying intentions behind the Scottish Government’s new Domestic Abuse Bill, but warned that ser...; 19 January Update on criminal case throughput
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) has published its fourth monthly workbook to show the throughput of criminal cases in Scotland’s courts. This sh...; 14 January Regulations to reform parole
Regulations to improve Scotland’s parole system, providing greater transparency for victims, relatives and the public, have been introduced to Parliament. The pr...; 12 January New court arrangements
New arrangements are to be introduced into Scotland’s courts from today, in order to support the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These will sig...; 7 January Backing for children’s UN Rights Bill
A new Bill that would allow children to take public bodies to court for breaches of their rights by incorporating the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child...; 5 January The Liability for NHS Charges (Treatment of Industrial Disease) (Scotland) Bill
A Bill that would allow the NHS to recover costs relating to industrial disease has been backed by the Scottish Parliament’s Health and Sport Committee. The Liab...
2020: December; 17 December Hate Crime Bill
The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill this week passed Stage 1 of the Parliamentary process. The Scottish Government had earlier accepted the overwhelming major...; 15 December Parliamentary Constituencies Act passed
The Government’s Parliamentary Constituencies Act has received Royal Assent, which means the geographical boundaries of the UK’s 650 constituencies will be re...; 10 December MSPs say Hate Crime Bill must be amended
The Scottish Parliament’s Justice Committee has indicated it will support the general principles of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill on condition it ...; 8 December Tougher penalties for animal and wildlife crime
New measures to increase the maximum available penalties for the worst cases of animal cruelty have come in to force. Taking effect from 30th November, the Animals and...; 3 December Fixed-term Parliaments Act to be repealed
New legislation published this week will abolish the current law that governs how UK Parliamentary elections are called - the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 - and return...; 1 December Simple Procedure – mandatory electronic submission
New rules are in force from today making electronic submission of simple procedure cases mandatory. The rule change was approved by the Scottish Civil Justice Council ...; November; 26 November More progress on Sheriff Court jury trials
The Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service has announced further plans to recommence Sheriff Court jury trials across Scotland. Arrangements for remote jury centres to be c...; 24 November Children’s Hearings advocacy service
A national advocacy service has been launched to reinforce the rights of children involved in the Children’s Hearings system. The service, backed by £1.5 mill...; 19 November Courts and Tribunals remain open for business
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service has stressed that all courts and tribunals will remain open despite the recent increase in Covid protection levels and the intro...; 17 November Scottish General Election (Coronavirus) Bill
New legislation has been published to make sure next year’s Scottish parliamentary election can take place fairly and safely during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pande...; 12 November Practice note tackles summary case backlog
The Lord Justice General, Lord Carloway, has issued a Practice Note aimed at reducing the current summary case backlog, whilst ensuring physical distancing, in the sherif...; 10 November MSPs seek views on ‘Emergency Barring Orders’
The Scottish Parliament’s Justice Committee has launched a call for views on proposals from the Scottish Government to introduce Domestic Abuse Protection Orders an...; 5 November High Court jury trial capacity
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service has announced that High Court jury trial capacity in Scotland has returned to pre-COVID levels. Sixteen trial courts are now in ...; 3 November Courts and tribunals to remain open
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service has confirmed that Scotland’s courts and tribunals will remain open for business under all five levels of the new Scottish...; October; 29 October New Geographical Indications schemes
Legislation was laid in Parliament last week setting out the rules and logos of new Geographical Indications (GI) schemes that will replace the EU schemes on 1st January ...; 27 October Homicide statistics published
Scotland’s Chief Statistician has published information on crimes of homicide recorded by the police in Scotland in 2019-20. This reveals that between 2018-19 and 2...; 22 October Proposed delay to fire alarm regulations
The Scottish Government is to ask the Scottish Parliament to delay new regulations on smoke and carbon monoxide alarms by 12 months due to the impact of coronavirus (COVI...; 20 October Reconvictions at 21-year low
The reconviction rate for offenders in Scotland has fallen to its lowest level since comparable records began. Officials statistics for the 2017-18 offender cohort show t...; 15 October Defamation and Malicious Publication (Scotland) Bill
MSPs on the Scottish Parliament’s Justice Committee have published their Stage 1 report on the Defamation Bill, which reforms defamation law in Scotland. In the...; 13 October The Fair Rents (Scotland) Bill
Holyrood’s Local Government and Communities Committee is seeking views on a new Bill that aims to increase private tenants’ protection by limiting rent increa...; 8 October Pre-pack sales to face mandatory independent scrutiny
The Government has announced new laws that will require mandatory independent scrutiny of pre-pack administration sales where connected parties, such as the insolvent com...; 6 October Domestic Abuse (Protection) (Scotland) Bill
Police and courts will gain powers to remove suspected abusers from victims’ homes and ban them from re‑entering, under new legislation published today. The Dome...; 1 October Recorded crime down 24% over the decade
Almost 1,700 crimes were reported under Scotland’s new Domestic Abuse laws in their first year in force, official figures show. The crimes reported under the Dom...; September; 29 September Report on impact of Covid-19 on justice system
MSPs on Holyrood’s Justice Committee have called for a ‘basket of measures’ to help clear the backlog in Scotland’s courts exacerbated by the Coro...; 17 September Queen's Counsel Appointments 2020
Solicitor Advocate Christine O’Neill is one of ten new Queen’s Counsel appointed by Her Majesty the Queen on the recommendation of First Minister Nicola Sturg...; 15 September Regulating short-term lets
The Scottish Government is consulting on proposed new legislation for the regulation of short-term lets. These include a mandatory licensing scheme to ensure that all sho...; 10 September Trial for Remote Jury Centres
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service has announced that the first trials of Remote Jury Centres will get underway on 28th September in Edinburgh (Fort Kinnaird) and ...; 8 September Timetable for Hate Crime Bill scrutiny
The timetable for parliamentary scrutiny of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill has been announced by Holyrood’s Justice Committee. The announcement com...; 3 September UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
Scotland is set to become the first country in the UK to directly incorporate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into domestic law. The UNCRC (Incorp...; 1 September New sheriffs and summary sheriffs appointed
The Judiciary of Scotland has announced the appointment of eleven new sheriffs and three new summary sheriffs. The new sheriffs are: Gerard Bonnar, appointed to ...; August; 27 August The Children (Scotland) Bill passed by Parliament
The Children (Scotland) Bill, which is designed to put the best interests of children at the heart of cases, has been passed by the Scottish Parliament. The Bill will...; 25 August Criminal disclosure reforms
Changes to rules about previous criminal convictions that people need to disclose to prospective employers will take effect this year. The reforms will, from 30th Novembe...; 20 August Bail Appeal Court now a virtual court
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service has announced that following a successful inaugural virtual court, the Bail Appeal Court will now convene daily with the presidi...; 18 August High Court remote jury centres
The Lord Justice General, Lord Carloway, has agreed a recommendation from the Restarting Solemn Trials Working Group for an innovative new approach for High Court jury tr...; 13 August SCRA referral statistics
The Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration has published its official statistics for 2019/20. These show that in 2019/20, 12,849 children and young people in S...; 11 August Survey on emergency criminal justice provisions
HM Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland and HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland have launched a survey on the emergency criminal justice provisions used in res...; July; 23 July Tax digitisation plan progresses
The Government has set out the next steps in a plan to create a modernised digital tax system fit for the 21st century. The plan - designed to boost national productiv...; 21 July European Charter of Local Self-Government
The Scottish Parliament’s Local Government and Communities Committee is seeking views on a Member’s Bill that aims to incorporate the European Charter of Loca...; 16 July High Court trials to resume in new format
High Court trials will restart on 20th July in Edinburgh and 21st July in Glasgow in new formats designed to ensure a safe and secure process for all involved, in complia...; 14 July Group proceedings
New rules have been approved by the Court of Session enabling two or more people with the same, similar, or related claims, to raise court proceedings in a single action ...; 9 July MSPs look at mental health coronavirus legislation powers
A Holyrood Committee has reiterated its call for unnecessary and arbitrary powers contained in emergency coronavirus legislation to be repealed in order to protect the ri...; 7 July Consultation launched on post-EU reforms for British courts
Views are being sought from the legal sector, business and the judiciary on which British courts should have the power to depart from retained EU case law. At present, on...; 2 July Major changes to insolvency law come into force
The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act has received Royal Assent and came into force last week. The Act is the largest change to the UK’s corporate insolven...; June; 30 June Protection of Workers Bill
The Scottish Parliamentary Economy, Energy and Fair Work Committee has announced its unanimous support for the general principles of the Protection of Workers (Retail and...; 25 June Civil partnership reforms for mixed sex couples
For the first time, mixed sex couples are to have the right to enter a civil partnership in Scotland after MSPs voted to pass the Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill. C...; 23 June Enhanced protection for animals and wildlife
MSPs have supported increased penalties for the worst types of animal cruelty and ‘Finn’s law’, which gives new legal protections for service animals su...; 18 June Age of referrals to children’s hearings
The Scottish Government is consulting on raising the age at which a young person can be referred to a children’s hearing from 16 to 18. Currently only 16 and 17-yea...; 16 June Impact of COVID-19 on crime
An analysis of the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown, published earlier this month, has shown a decrease in almost all areas of crime recorded by police. Howe...; 11 June The Disclosure (Scotland) Bill
The Disclosure (Scotland) Bill, which has passed its final stage in the Scottish Parliament, will transform how criminal record disclosures operate and improve the Protec...; 9 June The Social Security Administration and Tribunal Membership (Scotland) Bill
MSPs on Holyrood’s Social Security Committee have backed a Bill which would allow adult benefit claimants, who consent, to nominate an appointee to claim benefits o...; 4 June The Scottish Elections (Reform) Bill
Scottish Parliamentary and local election terms will be extended to five years in line with the UK Parliament and other devolved legislatures under changes approved by MS...; 2 June Sheriff Courts Update
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals has issued an update explaining the latest steps in the process of reopening courts and tribunals, in line with the Scottish Government ...; May; 28 May Children Bill passes Stage 1
Legislation to ensure that the rights of children are at the heart of any family law case, and that their views are heard, has passed its first Parliamentary hurdle. O...; 26 May Re-starting jury trials – first steps
The Lord Justice Clerk, Lady Dorrian, has set out the first steps to restart jury trials in Scotland. Lady Dorrian, who is leading a Working Group with representatives fr...; 21 May Report on Protected Trust Deeds
The Scottish Parliamentary Economy, Energy and Fair Work Committee has published a report on protected trust deeds, citing that changes are needed to make the debt soluti...; 19 May Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act report
In a post-legislative scrutiny report, the Holyrood’s Public Audit Committee says the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act (FOISA) has improved the transparen...; 14 May Extending criminal business in Sheriff Courts
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) announced earlier this week that from Monday 11th May, Sheriff Courts can proceed to hear and dispose of cases wher...; 12 May Second Coronavirus (Scotland) Bill
Emergency measures to protect people facing financial hardship and allow public services to operate effectively have been introduced to the Scottish Parliament in respons...; 7 May Tayside Commercial Court to expand
Following the success of the Tayside Commercial Court, it is to expand to cover the whole Tayside, Central and Fife Sheriffdom. This will mean the appointment of fou...; 5 May MSPs seek views on hate crime proposals
Members of the Scottish Parliament’s Justice Committee have launched a call for views on the Scottish Government’s plans to update hate crime laws. They want ...; April; 30 April Inquiry into equality and human rights impact of Covid-19
The detrimental impact of Covid-19 and the lockdown measures imposed on people across Scotland is to be investigated by MSPs. The Scottish Parliament’s Equalitie...; 28 April The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill
New legislation to give greater protection for victims of hate crime has been introduced to Parliament. The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill seeks to modern...; 23 April Social distancing regulations strengthened
Social distancing regulations introduced to slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) have been confirmed and extended to protect workers. Temporary regulations restri...; 21 April First Online Hearings
The first online court hearings in response to the Coronavirus situation get underway today. The Court of Session virtual court will convene with an Inner House case befo...; 16 April Appointment of salaried employment judges
Four new salaried employment judges have been appointed to the panel of judges of Employment Tribunals (Scotland). The Lord President, Lord Carloway, appointed David H...; 14 April Lord Weir installed as new judge
Robert Weir QC was last week installed as a senator of the College of Justice at a ceremony held in Parliament House, Edinburgh, where social distancing was observed. ...; 2 April Jury trial provisions postponed
The Scottish Parliament has supported The Coronavirus (Scotland) Bill, which contains new emergency powers to help protect the public, maintain essential public services ...; 1 April CORONAVIRUS (SCOTLAND) BILL 2020
31 March 2020 SOCIETY OF SOLICITOR ADVOCATES POSITION ON CORONAVIRUS (SCOTLAND) BILL 2020 The Society of Solicitor Advocates is a voluntary organi...; March; 31 March Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill
A proposal to make civil partnerships available to different sex couples will strengthen equality and advance human rights in Scotland, according to a Holyrood Committee....; 26 March Emergency coronavirus powers backed by MSPs
The Scottish Parliament has backed measures contained in UK emergency legislation that will help strengthen Scotland’s response to coronavirus (COVID-19). The UK...; 24 March Scottish Parliament considers Emergency Coronavirus Bill
MSPs from across the Scottish Parliament will today scrutinise the proposed UK-wide Emergency Coronavirus Bill. A Legislative Consent Memorandum has been lodged requ...; 19 March Coronavirus Bill
Emergency measures to give ministers powers to take the right action at the right time to respond effectively to the progress of the coronavirus outbreak will be introduc...; 17 March Electoral reform proposals
The Law Commission of England and Wales and the Scottish Law Commission (the Law Commissions) have published a report on proposals to simplify, clarify and improve electo...; 12 March Approval for Biometrics Commissioner
The Scottish Parliament has approved legislation to create a Biometrics Commissioner, who will oversee how policing bodies take, store, use and dispose of data such as fi...; 10 March Agriculture (Retained EU Law and Data) (Scotland) Bill
A Holyrood committee has called on the Scottish Government to include a “sunset clause” in legislation that will enable the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) t...; 5 March The Heat Networks (Scotland) Bill
The Heat Networks (Scotland) Bill has been published. The Bill will introduce regulation and a licensing system for district and communal heating to accelerate use of the...; 3 March Proposed sentencing guideline for young people
The Scottish Sentencing Council is consulting on a draft sentencing guideline that states that rehabilitation should be a primary consideration when young people are bein...; February; 26 February A review of cohabitation law in Scotland
The Scottish Law Commission has published a Discussion Paper reviewing cohabitation law in Scotland. The law in this area has been criticised as being out of date, unc...; 25 February Approval for Scottish Elections (Franchise and Representation) Bill
The right to vote in Scottish Parliament and local government elections has been extended, with the passing of the Scottish Elections (Franchise and Representation) Bill....; 20 February New judicial appointments
New appointments to the Inner House of the Court of Session have been announced. Lord Woolman has been appointed to the Second Division of the Inner House of the Cour...; 18 February SSC report on sentencing people with mental welfare issues
The Scottish Sentencing Council has published a report on issues relating to the sentencing of people who have experienced difficulties with mental health or mental illne...; 13 February Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers) (Scotland) Bill
Greater protections to strengthen the health and welfare of animals and wildlife in Scotland have been supported in a report issued by Holyrood’s Environment, Clima...; 11 February Facial recognition – MSPs report
Holyrood’s Justice Sub-Committee on Policing has said that current live facial recognition technology is not fit for use by Police Scotland. In a new report publ...; 6 February Care Review report published
The Independent Care Review (Care Review) has called for a radical overhaul of Scotland’s ‘care system’ and published, for the first time, the huma...; 4 February Criminal justice social work statistics published
The statistics report 'Criminal justice social work statistics in Scotland : 2018-19' has been published by Scotland’s Chief Statistician. This includes inf...; January; 30 January Understanding use of remand
Exploratory research into the reasons behind decisions on bail and remand has been commissioned to support work to reduce the number of people on pre-trial and pre-senten...
2019: January; 29 January Introductory Course
May 2019
2018: January; 16 January 14 new Employment Judges
Fourteen new Employment Judges have been appointed to the panel of judges of Employment Tribunals (Scotland). By virtue of the power conferred upon the Lord President ...; 16 January Reform of moveable transactions law
The Scottish Law Commission has published a Report recommending reform of moveable transactions law in Scotland. It is the culmination of one of the most complex projects...; 10 January Consultation on ‘compatibility issues’
A Review Group established by the Lord Justice General, Lord Carloway, to look at the practice and procedure relating to “compatibility issues” arising in cri...; 8 January New measures to tackle unsafe laser pointers
The Government has announced new measures to tackle the sale of unsafe laser pointers, including strengthening safeguards to stop high-powered lasers entering the country...
2017: December; 21 December MSPs back changing compensation claims
MSPs on Holyrood’s Justice Committee have unanimously backed a proposed law that changes the costs for people bringing a civil claim to court in Scotland. The Ci...; 14 December SLC report on defamation
The Scottish Law Commission (SLC) has published a report recommending reform of defamation law in Scotland. The report includes draft legislation designed to modernise th...; 12 December Annual wildlife crime report
Recorded wildlife crime has fallen by eight percent, according to the latest official figures. The annual wildlife crime report shows reported offences have dropped from ...; 7 December Planning (Scotland) Bill
New legislation to simplify and improve the planning system has been set out by Local Government Minister Kevin Stewart. Mr Stewart described how the Planning (Scotlan...; 7 December SSA - 2018 Advocacy Training Sessions
The Society of Solicitor Advocates (SSA) will be running its annual programme of specialist civil and criminal advocacy training sessions for 2018. The SSA ...; 5 December Gender representation on public boards
The Scottish Parliament has approved the Gender Representation on Public Boards (Scotland) Bill in principle after a stage one debate. The Bill sets an objective for p...; 1 December New Private Residential Tenancy
The biggest change to the private rental sector in a generation will mean tenants now have more security and stability coupled with better safeguards for landlords, lende...; November; 28 November Court of Session sittings
The Scottish Civil Justice Council has confirmed that new Rules setting out when the Court of Session sits will come into force on 1st January 2018. The new dates are ...; 24 November Equalities Committee seeks views on Historic Pardons Bill
Holyrood’s Equalities and Human Rights Committee is looking to hear views from the general public as the Historical Sexual Offences (Pardons and Disregards) Bill st...; 20 November Gender targets backed by Equalities Committee
A majority of members on Holyrood’s Equalities and Human Rights Committee have backed the general principles of the Gender Representation on Public Boards Bill, as ...; 17 November Employment tribunal fee refund scheme
The Government has confirmed that all those eligible for employment tribunal fee refunds can now apply, following a successful opening phase of the scheme. The refund ...; 15 November MEPs vote to boost online consumer protection
MEPs have approved EU-wide rules to better protect consumers against scams and detect and stop rogue traders more swiftly. The revised Consumer Protection Cooperation (CP...; 9 November Consultation on Gender Recognition Act
Plans have been unveiled to make it simpler – and less intrusive – for transgender people to be legally recognised in their acquired gender. At the moment,...; 9 November SSA - Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting and a talk by the Lord Justice Clerk, The Right Honourable Lady Dorrain, will take place at 6pm on Thursday 9th November 2017 in the lounge of ...; 7 November Historical Sexual Offences Bill published
Legislation to provide gay men convicted under historical discriminatory laws with an automatic pardon has been published. The Historical Sexual Offences (Pardons and ...; 3 November Report on Code of Practice for Named Persons information sharing
The Scottish Government should revisit its approach to the Code of Practice for ‘named persons’ information sharing, and consider providing the Parliament wit...; 1 November Trafficking and Exploitation Risk Orders in force
New powers to tackle trafficking suspects have come into force. Police can now apply to courts for a Trafficking and Exploitation Risk Order when they believe there is a ...; October; 23 October Employment tribunal fee refund scheme progresses
The Government has announced that the first people eligible for employment tribunal fee refunds are now able to apply. The first stage of the phased implementation sch...; 16 October SCTS Move to Create Glasgow Tribunals Centre
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) has announced plans for a new Tribunals Centre at 3 Atlantic Quay in Glasgow. According to SCTS, with 34 hearing rooms...; 9 October Call for Evidence on law to fix problem with disclosure regime
The Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee of the Scottish Parliament has issued a Call for Evidence in respect of the disclosure regime, after the courts identified a...; 5 October Limitation (Childhood Abuse) (Scotland) Act 2017 commences
A long-standing barrier to survivors of childhood abuse being able to take civil legal action pursuing damages has been abolished. The commencement of the Limitation (...; 3 October New right of appeal at Investigatory Powers Tribunal - consultation
The Government has launched a consultation on draft rules governing proceedings at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal. The Investigatory Powers Act 2016, which received...; September; 25 September Research into how juries reach decisions
Research into how juries reach decisions, including their use of the ‘not proven’ verdict, will be carried out over the next two years. Justice Secretary M...; 22 September The Contract (Third Party Rights) (Scotland) Bill
The Contract (Third Party Rights) (Scotland) Bill has been passed by the Scottish Parliament. It will establish a statutory basis for third party rights and ensure Scots ...; 20 September Modernisation of Summary Criminal Justice in Scotland
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) has published a further report on possible modernisation of summary criminal justice in Scotland. It follows proposals pu...; 14 September Data laws to be made fit for digital age
The Government has outlined its plans to update data protection legislation for the modern era. The Data Protection Bill will: Introduce safeguards to prevent an...; 11 September Nuisance hedges legislation report
Overgrown hedges – causing some to “live in the shadows” – remain an issue in Scotland because legislation is not always being used as effectively...; 7 September Queen's Counsel Appointments
The Society of Solicitor Advocates is delighted at the announcement that solicitor advocate Tony Jones has been appointed Queen’s Counsel. Tony qualified as a so...; 4 September Formation of contract - consultation
The Scottish Law Commission is seeking views on a working draft of a Bill on the formation of contract. It forms part of a larger Commission project looking at four aspec...; August; 31 August Corporate governance reforms
Business Secretary Greg Clark has set out the Government's corporate governance reforms to enhance the public's trust in business. These include plans for a pu...; 29 August Future of Crofting
A consultation on the priorities for future crofting law has been launched by Rural Affairs Secretary Fergus Ewing. The public consultation seeks opinions on the form ...; 18 August Judicial Complaints Reviewer appointed
Cabinet Secretary for Justice Michael Matheson has announced the appointment of Ian Gordon as the third Judicial Complaints Reviewer. Ian Gordon is a retired Deputy Ch...; 14 August Holiday consumer rights proposals
Enhanced regulations will better protect an extra 10 million UK package holidays booked online, under proposals outlined by Consumer Minister Margot James. The Consult...; 11 August Sheriff Appeal Court to sit in Glasgow
The Sheriff Appeal Court is to sit in Glasgow for the first time next week. The Court will hear criminal appeals, sitting in the High Court of Justiciary, Saltmarket. ...; 7 August Strengthening data protection
In a statement of intent the Government has committed to updating and strengthening data protection laws through a new Data Protection Bill. The aim is to provide everyon...; 3 August CMA consults on penalties guidance
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is consulting on proposals to amend its penalties guidance in order to reflect experience gained in applying it since it was i...; 1 August Developing sentencing guidelines
The Scottish Sentencing Council is consulting on a draft guideline that will set out the principles underlying sentencing decisions and the purposes they seek to achieve....; July; 27 July Mixed picture for Scots insolvencies
New figures from Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB) show fewer businesses becoming insolvent or entering receivership, but an increase in the number of personal insolvencies....; 25 July Lady Hale appointed next President of Supreme Court
The Government has announced that Baroness Hale of Richmond will succeed Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury as President of the UK Supreme Court. Three additional appointments ...; 19 July Parental Bereavement (Pay and Leave) Bill
Employed parents who have lost a child will for the first time get statutory paid leave to grieve under a proposed new law being supported by the Government and introduce...; 18 July Justice Vision and Priorities
The Scottish Government last week published a new ‘Vision and Priorities for Justice’ and its accompanying 2017-18 Delivery Plan. The aim of the new strategy ...; 14 July Report on prescription
The Scottish Law Commission has published a new Report making recommendations for the reform of negative prescription. The aim is to bring more certainty and fairness to ...; 11 July Discussion Paper on remedies for breach of contract
In the final phase of its review of contract law, the Scottish Law Commission has published a Discussion Paper on remedies for breach of contract. The Discussion Paper...; 5 July Sharing images without consent
The Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016 is now in force, making it easier to prosecute people who share intimate images without consent. Those convicted...; 3 July Trafficking and Exploitation Prevention Orders
Trafficking and Exploitation Prevention Orders (TEPOs) are now available for use by the courts as a means of protecting the public from perpetrators of human trafficking ...; June; 29 June Space Industry Bill introduced
The Space Industry Bill has been introduced into the House of Lords, marking the first step in the process to create new laws and a regulatory framework to enable excitin...; 27 June Change to Scottish limited partnership rules
The Scottish Partnerships (Register of People with Significant Control) Regulations 2017 came into force on Monday (26 June 2017), requiring Scottish limited partnerships...; 22 June Evidence from child and vulnerable witnesses
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) has published a report looking at the way evidence is taken from child and vulnerable witnesses. The Child and Vulnerable...; 20 June MSPs seek views on capping ‘no win no fee’ arrangements
The cost of going to court is to be examined by Holyrood’s Justice Committee as it begins its scrutiny of the Civil Litigation Bill by launching a call for evidence...; 15 June Lay representatives, withdrawal of agents and judicial review
The Scottish Civil Justice Council has issued several sets of new rules that will come into force in July. The first, relating to the scope of a lay representative&rsq...; 13 June Modernising fatal accident inquiries
Major changes that modernise the way fatal accident inquiries are carried out will come into force this week. The Inquiries into Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths etc (Sc...; 1 June ECtHR changes delivery of single judge decisions
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has launched a new approach to the delivery of single judge decisions, allowing more detailed reasoning to be included. The ...; May; 30 May New measures on alcohol
Offences to combat underage drinking in public came into force earlier this month, making it an offence to give or make alcohol available to a child or young person for c...; 26 May Amendments to Simple Procedure & FAI Rules
The Scottish Civil Justice Council has published an Act of Sederunt that will amend the Simple Procedure Rules and the Fatal Accident Inquiry Rules. The Act of Sederunt (...; 26 May Amendments to Simple Procedure & FAI Rules
The Scottish Civil Justice Council has published an Act of Sederunt that will amend the Simple Procedure Rules and the Fatal Accident Inquiry Rules. The Act of Sederunt (...; 22 May Consultation on animal welfare legislation
The Scottish Parliament’s Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee is consulting on proposed legislation that would ban the use of any non-domesticated...; 17 May First tax chamber tribunal president appointed
The Scottish Government has announced the appointment of the inaugural Tax Chamber President of the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland. Mrs Anne Scott has accepted the appo...; 15 May The Contract (Third Party Rights) (Scotland) Bill
Holyrood’s Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee has recommended that the general principles of the Contract (Third Party Rights) (Scotland) Bill be approved. ...; 9 May First civil jury trial for Personal Injury Court
The first civil jury trial in the Sheriff Court since their re-introduction has taken place in the All-Scotland Personal Injury Court. Civil jury trials in the Sheriff...; 2 May New Administrative Sheriff
Sheriff Kenneth McGowan was recently appointed as the new Administrative Sheriff for the All-Scotland Sheriff Personal Injury Court, located at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. ...; April; 27 April Keep children at heart of hearings system
Improvements are needed to ensure that children remain at the heart of the system designed to protect them, says the Scottish Parliament's Education and Skills Commit...; 25 April New curbs against drug-driving
The Scottish Government is to build on Scotland’s drink-driving limits and existing laws against drug-driving with new curbs against motorists who endanger other ro...; 20 April Committee backs Bill lifting time bar on childhood abuse civil litigation
The Scottish Parliament’s Justice Committee has endorsed the general principles of the Limitation (Childhood Abuse) Bill, but states that some aspects of the Bill n...; 19 April Gender pay gap reporting now live
Earlier this month, the UK became one of the first countries to introduce gender pay gap reporting, requiring 9,000 employers to publish their gender pay gap. Voluntar...; 13 April The Scottish Land Court
The Scottish Land Court is, as of 1st April, now one of ”the Scottish courts” as defined by the Judiciary and Courts (Scotland) Act 2008 and within the respon...; 11 April Supreme Court confirms Scottish sitting dates
The UK Supreme Court has announced it will sit in Edinburgh between Monday 12th to Thursday 15th June 2017. The Court will sit as a panel of five judges, with Lord Neu...; 5 April New penalties for breaching financial sanctions
The Treasury’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) is now able to use powers to impose penalties for serious financial sanctions breaches. These can...; 3 April FAI rules in force in June
Procedure rules that set out changes to the way Fatal Accident Inquiries (FAIs) are carried out are due to come into force on 15th June, according to the Scottish Civil J...; March; 31 March Evidence of children and vulnerable witnesses
The Lord Justice Clerk, Lady Dorrian, has introduced a new High Court guideline (Practice Note) that is the first step towards transforming the way we take the evidence o...; 28 March Civil Justice Statistics published
The latest civil justice statistics, newly published by Scotland’s Chief Statistician, show that 77,721 civil law cases were initiated across the Court of Session, ...; 24 March New domestic abuse protocol
The Lord Advocate James Wolffe QC and Assistant Chief Constable Mark Williams have launched a new Joint Protocol on Domestic Abuse. The agreement commits Police Scotla...; 21 March New powers to tackle domestic abuse
A new Bill to strengthen the laws against those who psychologically abuse their partners using coercive and controlling behaviour has been introduced to the Scottish Parl...; 16 March Stronger rights for shareholders in EU companies
New tools to sharpen big EU firms’ focus on their long-run performance, by fostering their shareholders’ commitment to it, have been approved by the European ...; 13 March New rules for formal offers in settlement
The Scottish Civil Justice Council (SCJC) has announced the details of new Court Rules that will introduce a mechanism by which a pursuer can put forward a formal offer i...; 2 March New law to protect children
New legislation to criminalise emotional abuse and neglect of children will be introduced in Scotland, Minister for Childcare and Early Years Mark McDonald has announced....; February; 28 February Views sought on the Contract (Third Party Rights) (Scotland) Bill
The Scottish Parliament’s Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee has issued a call for evidence on the Contract (Third Party Rights) (Scotland) Bill. At the m...; 22 February New Tayside Commercial Court
A new court dedicated to dealing with commercial disputes is to be established in Tayside. It will sit in Dundee, Forfar and Perth Sheriff Courts. Sheriff Lindsay Foul...; 21 February ‘Hedge rage’ legislation to be examined by committee
Legislation aimed at addressing the frustration caused by overgrown hedges will be examined by the Scottish Parliament’s Local Government and Communities Committee....; 16 February Holyrood Committee launches gender pay gap inquiry
The Scottish Parliament’s Economy, Fair Work and Jobs Committee has launched an inquiry into the impact of equal pay. According to current research: Progre...; 13 February Fox hunting laws
The operation and enforcement of the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002 is to be strengthened, Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham announced recently. ...; 9 February Automatic cross-border recognition of adoptions
To protect adopted children’s best interests, MEPs earlier this month urged the EU Commission to require all EU countries to recognise each other’s adoption c...; 7 February Clarifying contract law
A Bill to reform contract law on third party rights was introduced to the Scottish Parliament last week. The Contract (Third Party Rights) (Scotland) Bill will bring the ...; 2 February Independent review of legal aid
The Scottish Government has announced an independent review of legal aid to ensure it meets the changing needs of Scotland’s justice system. The legal aid system...; January; 31 January Review of hate crime legislation
The Scottish Government has announced a review of the suite of laws covering hate crime offences in Scotland. The independent review, which will be chaired by the Right H...; 26 January Merger investigations in smaller markets
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is consulting on changes to reduce the number of mergers it investigates in smaller markets. The CMA has a duty to refer me...; 24 January Community Empowerment Act
The asset transfer section of the Community Empowerment Act (Scotland) 2015 is now in force. This allows community-led organisations to request to buy, lease or use any l...; 18 January Review of limited partnership business model
A review looking at the uses of ‘limited partnerships’ in the UK has been launched following recent allegations that some businesses registered in Scotland ar...; 16 January Call for evidence on corporate economic crime
The Ministry of Justice has issued a call for evidence on whether further reform is needed to combat corporate criminality. It is the latest in a series of moves to repai...; 13 January Code of practice for stop and search
The principles determining when police can use ‘stop and search’ powers have been set out in a new code of practice. Promoting public safety and preventing...; 10 January Housing and Property Chamber consultation
The Scottish Government is consulting on new rules that will govern the operation of the Housing and Property Chamber of the new First-tier Tribunal, as it expands to cov...; 6 January Gender balance on public boards
The Scottish Government is consulting on a new Bill that aims to ensure gender balance on public boards in Scotland. The Gender Representation on Public Boards (Scotla...; 4 January New penalties for enablers of offshore tax evasion
New sanctions are now in force to deter individuals or corporates who take deliberate action to help others evade paying tax. Those found guilty of the offence now face f...
2016: December; 22 December Air Departure Tax
The Air Departure Tax (Scotland) Bill, replacing Air Passenger Duty (APD) in Scotland, has been formally introduced to the Scottish Parliament. According to the Scotti...; 16 December New President for the SSA – John Scott QC
The Society of Solicitor Advocates' held its Annual General Meeting at the SSC Library in Edinburgh on 8th December. Tom Marshall of Thompsons Solicitors, who has ...; 15 December Draft Fatal Accident Inquiries Rules
The Scottish Civil Justice Council is consulting on the draft Fatal Accident Inquiries Rules, which detail how FAIs will work in practice. They were developed by a Counci...; 13 December Childhood Abuse Bill – call for evidence
The three-year time limit that prevents childhood abuse survivors from seeking civil damages in court is the focus of a call for evidence issued late last month by MSPs o...; 9 December Smoking in cars with children
A new law which makes it illegal to smoke in a vehicle carrying anyone under 18 came into force earlier this week. Anyone caught breaking the law will be committing an of...; 6 December Change to age of criminal responsibility?
The minimum age of criminal responsibility in Scotland is to be increased to 12, under plans set out by the Minister for Childcare & Early Years, Mark McDonald. At...; 1 December Penalty clauses in contracts
The Scottish Law Commission has published a Discussion Paper on the rule against penalty clauses in contracts, raising for consultation purposes the possibilities that th...; November; 29 November UK set to ratify Unified Patent Court Agreement
The UK Government has confirmed it is proceeding with preparations to ratify the Unified Patent Court Agreement. This is part of the process needed to realise the Unit...; 22 November Fox hunting laws reviewed
A report with recommendations to improve the operation of the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002 has been submitted to the Scottish Government by the Rt Hon L...; 18 November Removing time-bar from civil actions against child abuse
Legislation to remove the three-year time limit that prevents childhood abuse survivors from seeking civil damages in court has been published in the Scottish Parliament....; 15 November UK to opt in to revised Europol framework
The Government has announced that it intends to opt into a new regulation that gives legal footing to the new framework for Europol. Regulation (eu) 2016/794 of the Eu...; 11 November Movement on cross-border family issues
Late last month the Government announced that it was going to opt in to a European Commission’s proposal to repeal a Regulation used in cross-border family matters....; 3 November Electronic voting in industrial action ballots
The Government has announced that former Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser for England, Sir Ken Knight CBE QFSM, will lead an independent review of electronic voting for indu...; 1 November Inquiry into the future world of work
The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Commons Select Committee last week launched an inquiry into the future world of work. It will consider the rapidly changing n...; October; 24 October Consultation on Tribunals regulations
The Scottish Government is consulting on draft regulations to implement part of the Tribunals (Scotland) Act 2014. Comments are sought by 4th December. The Act establi...; 12 October Human Trafficking Strategy
The Scottish Government is consulting on its Human Trafficking Strategy, which aims to disrupt perpetrators and improve support for victims. The strategy, out for cons...; 10 October SSC announces first guidelines
The first set of guidelines to be developed by the Scottish Sentencing Council will include death by driving, and environment & wildlife offences. The Council will al...; 6 October Response to third party rights proposals
The Scottish Government has issued a response welcoming the recommendations in a Scottish Law Commission (SLC) report on third party rights. It has also indicated that th...; 4 October Expanding tagging sentences
The Scottish Government is to continue to expand the use of electronic tags to help reduce reoffending levels and keep communities safe, Justice Secretary Michael Matheso...; September; 30 September FOI request handling has improved, says report
A new report has found that most Scottish public authorities appear to be getting better at handling Freedom of Information (FOI) requests. The report, published by th...; 27 September Change in Court of Session Sitting Dates
The Lord President has published a new Direction that sets out the sitting days for the Court of Session for the Legal Years 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2019/20. It lar...; 23 September Queen’s Counsel appointments
Solicitor advocate Iain McSporran is among thirteen new Queen’s Counsel appointed by Her Majesty the Queen on the recommendation of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. ...; 19 September Lords inquiry into legislative process
The House of Lords Constitution Committee has issued a call for evidence in respect of a new Inquiry into the legislative process. The Inquiry will look at how legisla...; 15 September Commission proposes to update EU copyright rules
Following on from President Juncker's 2016 State of the Union address, the EU Commission has set out proposals for the modernisation of copyright. They reflect the...; 12 September Justice Committee considers COPFS
The effectiveness of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) as Scotland’s independent prosecutor is to be the subject of a major new inquiry by MSPs...; 8 September Diligence Review Consultation
The Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB) is consulting on the changes to diligence legislation that were introduced by the Bankruptcy and Diligence etc. (Scotland) Act 2007. ...; 6 September Welfare powers transferred to Scottish Parliament
A number of new welfare powers have been transferred to the Scottish Parliament under the Scotland Act 2016. These include powers to: Create new benefits in devo...; 1 September Increase in workplace discrimination of pregnant women
A Parliamentary report has called on the Government to bring in new protections for pregnant women after research revealed a 'shocking' increase in workplace preg...; August; 31 August Named person orders laid before Parliament
Deputy First Minister John Swinney last week confirmed that the Scottish Government would not commence the named person provisions of the Children and Young People (Scotl...; 24 August New sanctions for offshore tax evaders
HM Revenue and Customs has set out plans for tough new sanctions for tax evaders. The proposals mean that those who do not come forward and pay outstanding taxes from off...; 22 August Fatal Accident Inquiries Report
The Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland last week published a thematic report on Fatal Accident Inquiries (FAIs). In recent years, the length of time taken between...; 11 August New statistics from SCRA
Recently published statistics from the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration reveal a drop in the number of children and young people with Child Protection Or...; 8 August Bankruptcy (Scotland) Act 2016
The Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB) is consulting on draft regulations in advance of the coming into force of the Bankruptcy (Scotland) Act 2016 on 30th November 2016. ...; 3 August New Sheriff Principal
The Scottish Government recently announced the appointment of Sheriff Craig Turnbull as Sheriff Principal of the Sheriffdom of Glasgow and Strathkelvin. Sheriff Turnbull ...; 1 August Number of Scots insolvencies stabilises
Newly released figures from Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB) show that the number of personal insolvencies in Scotland has returned to trend following significant reform of...; July; 20 July New Vice President for Sheriff Appeal Court
Sheriff Principal Abercrombie, QC, has been confirmed as the new Vice President to the Sheriff Appeal Court. Ian Abercrombie graduated with an LLB Hons from Edinburgh ...; 18 July SLC issues report on JQT
The Scottish Law Commission (SLC) has published a report recommending reform of the Scottish legal principle of jus quaesitum tertio. Scots law has traditionally allow...; 14 July Transfer of new powers
Regulations laid at Westminster today will begin the transfer of powers to enable the Scottish Parliament to start legislating on social security and employability. Th...; 13 July Stronger protection for transatlantic data flows
The European Commission has adopted the EU-US Privacy Shield, a new framework that protects the fundamental rights of anyone in the EU whose personal data is transferred ...; 7 July More urgent cases for Supreme Court
The last financial year saw continued growth in the proportion of cases where the Supreme Court sits as a panel of more than five Justices or where parties request the ur...; 5 July Cross-border family proceedings - proposal
The European Commission last week proposed improvements to the EU rules that protect children in the context of cross-border parental responsibility disputes related to c...; June; 30 June People with Significant Control register goes live
The People with Significant Control (PSC) register, which requires companies to declare who owns or controls them to Companies House, is now live. The register include...; 29 June Land Reform Act comes into force
The first parts of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act - changes on the use of common good land, business rates for shooting and deerstalking, and deer management – are ...; 28 June National Cremation Investigation report
The Scottish Government has published the report from the National Cremation Investigation, led by Dame Elish Angiolini, into circumstances surrounding historic infant cr...; 24 June SLAB appointments
The Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs has announced the appointment of Ray Macfarlane as Chair of the Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) and of Marieke Dwarshu...; 22 June Recorded crime drops 3.2%
New figures from Police Scotland reveal a drop of 3.2% in crime recorded between 1st April 2015 and 31st March 2016. Overall 246,243 crimes were recorded in Scotland duri...; 16 June Changes to the Third Parties (Rights against Insurers) Act 2010
New legislation that will allow a third party to issue proceedings directly against the insurer, removing the need to restore the dissolved company in order to make a cla...; 7 June Law Officer appointments
The First Minister last week recommended the appointment of James Wolffe QC and Alison Di Rollo as Scotland’s new law officers. Subject to the approval of Parlia...; 1 June Human trafficking laws now in force
Measures contained in The Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015 are now in force. They include the possibility of a sentence of life imprisonment for tho...; May; 31 May New trade secrets Directive
The EU Council has adopted a Directive setting out rules for the protection of trade secrets and confidential information of EU companies. It follows an agreement reached...; 27 May IP (Unjustified Threats) Bill
The Intellectual Property (Unjustified Threats) Bill was introduced into Parliament last week by Minister for Intellectual Property (IP), Baroness Neville-Rolfe. The Bill...; 23 May New powers for the Scottish Parliament
The first law-making powers have transferred from Westminster to Holyrood under the Scotland Act 2016. The Scottish Parliament is now able to legislate on new areas, incl...; 19 May Reconviction rates continue to fall
The proportion of people being reconvicted within 12 months has reached the lowest level in 17 years, according to official statistics published by Scotland’s Chief...; 17 May EU Court of Justice launches app
The Court of Justice of the European Union has launched its first app, called CVRIA, for smartphones and tablets. The application, which runs under both IOS and Androi...; 12 May Senators appointed to College of Justice
The Scottish Government has announced the appointment of five new Senators to the College of Justice. Sheriff John Beckett QC, Ailsa Carmichael QC, Alistair Clark QC, ...; 10 May Online processing in civil courts
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service has announced that live testing of the SCTS’ case management system will begin shortly. The first phase of the new Integra...; 4 May Redress for competition law breaches
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published guidance explaining the redress options open to victims of competition law breaches. The guidance (Competitio...; 3 May MEPs consider cross-border custody cases
MEPs have called for specialised chambers within EU countries' family courts to ensure that transnational cases are processed faster. The demand was part of a non-bin...; April; 28 April Personal insolvencies at fourteen year low
Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB) has released official statistics reporting personal and company insolvencies in Scotland for the fourth quarter of 2015-16. The figures sho...; 26 April New Lord Justice Clerk installed
The Right Hon. Lady Dorrian has been installed as the new Lord Justice Clerk and President of the Second Division of the Court of Session. “As Lord Justice Clerk...; 22 April Money laundering reforms proposed
Home Secretary Theresa May has released an action plan setting out details of proposals to reform the UK’s anti-money laundering and terrorist finance regime. It...; 19 April Appointment of Lord Justice Clerk
The appointment of the new Lord Justice Clerk has been announced. The Rt. Hon Lady Dorrian QC will take up her new role as the second most senior judge in Scotland on 26t...; 8 April New law to help UK’s rights holders
From next week, British creators and other rights holders who license their rights through ‘collective management organisations’ (CMOs) will benefit from incr...; 4 April Summary Sheriffs
Summary Sheriffs began sitting in Scotland’s Sheriff Courts for the first time last week, as part of reforms to the Scottish court system under The Courts Reform (S...; March; 31 March Strengthening domestic and sexual abuse law
The Scottish Parliament passed The Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm Bill earlier this month, tackling the way modern technology can be used to perpetrate abuse and creat...; 23 March Bankruptcy consolidation Bill
Scottish laws on insolvency have been brought together into one piece of legislation for the first time in a generation with the passing of the new Bankruptcy (Scotland) ...; 21 March Discussion paper on defamation law
The Scottish Law Commission has published a discussion paper on defamation law in the wake of changes to the law of England and Wales that took effect in 2013. The pap...; 16 March Removing time bar
The Scottish Government has published a draft Bill that removes a barrier on survivors who were abused as children seeking civil damages in court. The Limitation (Chil...; 14 March Support for vulnerable witnesses
The Scottish Government has published new figures that show vulnerable victims and witnesses are benefiting from more support when giving evidence in court. It follows ch...; 10 March Mental health consultation
The Scottish Government has launched a consultation on The Mental Health Act (Scotland) 2015, which was passed into law by the Scottish Parliament last year. The Act w...; 9 March Reform of the Posting of Workers Directive
The European Commission has set out a targeted revision of the rules on the posting of workers. The aim is to facilitate the posting of workers within a climate of fai...; 3 March Consultation on T&Cs
Complicated and extensive Terms and Conditions (T&Cs) that customers face, or all too often choose to ignore, are being reviewed by the UK Government, Business Secret...; February; 29 February SCTS publishes Evidence and Procedure Review - Next Steps
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) has published its “Evidence and Procedure Review – Next Steps” report, recommending both a new approach...; 25 February Tackling human trafficking
A new law allowing life sentences for traffickers will come into effect on 31st May 2016. The Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015 will strengthen Scotl...; 23 February SLC prescription Discussion Paper
The Scottish Law Commission has published a Discussion Paper on the law of prescription. Comments on the paper are sought by 23rd May. The paper considers a number of ...; 19 February Annual report on law reform
The Scottish Law Commission (SLC) has published its Annual Report for 2015, highlighting not only the progress in law reform over the past year, but also the events held ...; 16 February Strengthening community justice
The Scottish Parliament passed The Community Justice (Scotland) Bill last week. The Bill lays the groundwork for a new decentralised model of community justice. In gen...; 10 February Criminal Verdicts (Scotland) Bill
The Scottish Parliament’s Justice Committee has refused to endorse the Criminal Verdicts (Scotland) Bill in its Stage 1 report on the Bill. The Bill is designed ...; 8 February First summary sheriffs appointed
Scotland’s first summary sheriffs have been appointed as part of the modernisation of the court system taking place under the Courts Reform (Scotland) Act 2014. Thi...; 4 February Interim report on electoral reform
The UK needs a new, modern and rational legal framework to govern the conduct of elections and referendums, according to an interim report by the Law Commissions of Engla...; 1 February Automatic early prison release ends
Changes to the system of automatic early release from prison are now in force, meaning that no long-term prisoner in Scotland will now be eligible for automatic release a...; January; 29 January Modernising inheritance law
A Bill to reform succession laws, including the effects of divorce, dissolution or annulment on a will, has been passed by the Scottish Parliament. The Succession (Sco...; 27 January Insolvencies down by 11% since 2014
Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB) has released official statistics reporting personal and company insolvencies in Scotland for the third quarter of 2015-16. The number of...; 21 January Support for Abusive Behaviour Bill
The Scottish Parliament’s Justice Committee has published a report supporting the general principles of a Scottish Government Bill that aims to improve how the just...; 20 January Apologies (Scotland) Bill passed
The Scottish Parliament has passed the Apologies (Scotland) Bill, which will remove a legal barrier to individuals and organisations apologising for a mistake. The Bil...; 15 January Committee support for tenancy reforms
The Scottish Parliamentary Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee has supported the general principles of a Bill that aims to introduce a new single tenancy for ...; 11 January Lord Carloway installed as Lord President
The Right Honourable Lord Carloway was installed last week as the new Lord Justice General and Lord President of the Court of Session. He succeeds the Rt Hon Lord Gill wh...; 8 January Civil Sheriff Appeal Court open
The Civil Sheriff Appeal Court opened this week, hearing civil appeals from sheriff courts. It is the latest step in a major modernisation programme of Scotland’s c...; 5 January Consultation on domestic abuse offence
The Scottish Government recently launched a consultation to discuss how a specific offence to tackle domestic abuse across Scotland might be taken forward. The dedicat...

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