Welcome for civil business progress

John Mulholland, President of the Law Society of Scotland, said: “I am pleased to see progress at the Scottish Courts & Tribunals Service and a willingness to engage positively on developing measures with a view to delivering essential civil court business. Over the weekend we were invited to formally give our views on the SCTS protocol for civil court priorities and our Civil Justice Committee is looking at this as a matter of urgency.

“Ensuring the health and wellbeing of all in line with the Scottish Government’s COVID-19 restrictions is of course a fundamental principle of all ongoing work, but we recognise the reasonable frustrations felt by many of our members and their clients and the anxieties caused by delays in civil business at this time.

“It is good news that technology to connect multiple locations into Inner House hearings will be trialled from next week. I look forward to seeing this go ahead successfully and subsequently suitable solutions agreed and rolled out to the Outer House and Sheriff Courts. It is my understanding that this will allow both solicitor and solicitor advocate/counsel to be present over the weblink in each hearing which is a welcome and essential provision which should be included in any future roll out.

“This invitation by SCTS to contribute our views is welcomed and we will work hard to develop this into a positive outcome. There will be regular updates on our social media and our website over the coming days and weeks.”