Court of Session sitting direction written into new rules

New Rules of the Court of Session have been made setting out when the court will sit, including dates covering the next three years.

In September 2016 the Lord President made direction, under chapter 10 of the Rules, modernising the court sittings by abolishing the summer vacation and term dates.

The replacement chapter 10 now includes the sitting dates in the body of the Rules themselves.

Under the new rules the court will sit throughout the year except during two brief vacation periods at Christmas and Easter, normally on Tuesday to Friday each week from 10am to 4pm, with provision for Monday sittings "where it is considered desirable" and for sittings on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday "where it is desirable to do so to determine a matter of urgency". During vacation, court business shall be dealt with either by the vacation judge or, where necessary, a Division of the Inner House.

New rule 10.3 lists the public holidays, vacation periods and vacation sitting days of the court up to the end of 2020. These dates (other than those beyond September 2020) were previously set out in Direction No 1 of 2016.

Consequential amendments to the Rules are made by para 3.

Click here to view the new rules.