Civil Online for simple procedure stays until March

The mandatory use of the Civil Online system for simple procedure claims has been extended by a further six months.

This week the Court of Session made the Act of Sederunt (Simple Procedure Amendment) (Civil Online) 2021, extending the temporary provision introduced during the pandemic until 31 March 2022.

Under the rules, a simple procedure claim must be submitted via the Scottish Courts & Tribunals Service (“SCTS”) Civil Online platform or the internet interface to the SCTS case management system. Claimants may make an application to submit a claim on paper if they are unable to use either of these options. A sheriff will consider and decide whether a claimant could have submitted their claim by either of these methods, based on an explanation the claimant provides in a note.

The reason for extending the provisions of the 2020 Rules is to enable the Scottish Civil Justice Council to monitor fully the impact of the rules in practice, before making a final policy decision on whether the provisions should be retained, abandoned or changed in any way ahead of the new expiry date.