Courts Reform (Scotland) Act 2014

Courts Reform (Scotland) Act 2014
Act of the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
Long titleAn Act of the Scottish Parliament to make provision about the sheriff courts; to establish a Sheriff Appeal Court; to make provision about civil court procedure; to make provision about appeals in civil proceedings; to make provision about appeals in criminal proceedings; to make provision about judges of the Court of Session; to make provision about the Scottish Land Court; to make provision about justice of the peace courts; to rename the Scottish Court Service and give it functions in relation to tribunals; to provide for assistants to the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland; and for connected purposes.
Citation2014 asp 18
Introduced byKenny MacAskill
Territorial extent Scotland
Dates
Royal assent10 November 2014
Commencement22 September 2015
Status: Current legislation
History of passage through Parliament
Text of statute as originally enacted
Text of the Courts Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

The Courts Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 (asp 18) is an Act of the Scottish Parliament passed in October 2014 to improve access to the civil justice system and while making the Court of Session a place for the more complex cases.

History

The origins of this radical legislative reform lie with the Gill Report of 2009.[1] The Bill was introduced by Kenny MacAskill MSP on 6 February 2014.[2] The Bill was passed by the Parliament on 7 October 2014.[3] It received Royal Assent on 6 May 2015.

Provisions

The legislation created a national Sheriff Appeal Court.[3]

The legislation raised the threshold from £5,000 to £100,000 for a case to be brought to the Court of Session.[4] Some changes, such as a reduced ability to recover counsel's fees, make arbitration a more attractive means of dispute resolution.[5]

References

  1. ^ See generally under Reforms to the Scottish Courts system under Lord Gill
  2. ^ Alderson, Reevel (7 February 2014). "Civil court reforms to speed Scottish justice". BBC News. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  3. ^ a b "MSPs back reforms to 'inefficient and expensive' justice system". STV News. 7 October 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  4. ^ Drummond, Alistair (25 May 2015). "Changing times for Scotland's courts". The Scotsman. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  5. ^ Webster, Shiela (23 February 2015). "One door closes and opportunities arise". The Scotsman. Retrieved 8 January 2017.