F22Sheriff Courts (Scotland) Act 1971
1971 c. 58
An Act to amend the law with respect to sheriff courts in Scotland, and for purposes connected therewith.
Part I Constitution, Organisation and Administration
F22 General duty of the Secretary of State
F221 Secretary of State to be responsible for organisation and administration of sheriff courts.
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Sheriffdoms
2 Power of Secretary of State to alter sheriffdoms.
F221
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F222
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F222A
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F222B
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F233
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F224
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F225
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Sheriff court districts and places where sheriff courts are to be held
3 Sheriff court districts and places where sheriff courts are to be held.
F221
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F222
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F222A
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F222B
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F223
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F244
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F225
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F225A
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F226
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F22 Sheriffs principal and sheriffs
4 Offices of sheriff principal and sheriff.
F225 Qualification for offices of sheriff principal and sheriff.
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F225ARetiring age for sheriff principal and sheriff.
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F226 Disqualification of sheriffs principal and sheriffs.
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F227 Jurisdiction of sheriff.
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F228 Sheriff may be appointed to assist Secretary of State.
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F22 Functions of the Secretary of State in relation to sheriffs principal, sheriffs, et ceteralaetc.
F229 Power of Secretary of State to give administrative directions.
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F2210 Secretary of State may authorise sheriff principal or direct sheriff to act in another sheriffdom.
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F2211 Secretary of State may appoint temporary sheriffs principal and sheriffs.
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F2211A Appointment of part-time sheriffs
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F2211B Limitation, termination etc. of appointment of part-time sheriffs
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F2211C Removal of part-time sheriffs from office
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F2211D Regulations and orders under sections 11A and 11C
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F2212 Removal from office, and suspension, of sheriff principal or sheriff.
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F22Consideration of fitness for, and removal from, shrieval office
F2212ATribunal to consider fitness for shrieval office
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F2212BSuspension during investigation
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F2212CFurther provision about tribunals
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F2212DReport of tribunal
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F2212ERemoval from office
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F2212FInterpretation of sections 12A to 12E
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F2213 Functions of Secretary of State with respect to residence and leave of absence of sheriffs principal.
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F2214 Functions of Secretary of State with respect to number, residence and place of duties of sheriffs.
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F2214ARe-employment of retired sheriffs principal and sheriffs
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F22 Functions of the sheriff principal in relation to sheriffs, et ceteralaetc.
F2215Efficient disposal of business in sheriff courts
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F2216 Functions of sheriff principal with respect to duties and leave of absence of sheriffs.
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F2217 Sheriff principal may fix sittings and business of sheriff courts in sheriffdom, and sessions for civil business.
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F2217ALord President's power to exercise functions in sections 15 to 17
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F2218 Secretary of State may exercise certain functions of sheriff principal in certain circumstances.
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F22 Miscellaneous
F2219 Travelling allowances for sheriffs principal.
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F2220 Extension of purposes for which Lord Advocate may give instructions to procurators fiscal.
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F2221. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
F2222 Saving for existing functions.
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F22Part II Court houses, buildings and offices
F2223 Transfer of court houses to Secretary of State.
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F2224 Provision and maintenance of court houses by Secretary of State.
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F2225 Use of public buildings for holding of courts.
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F2226 Use of court houses by third parties.
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F2227 Compensation for officers and servants.
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F2228 Repeal and amendment of local enactments.
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F2229 Determination of disputes.
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F2230 Interpretation of Part II.
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Part III Civil jurisdiction, procedure and appeals
X131 Upper limit to privative jurisdiction of sheriff court to be £250.
Section 7 of the M1Sheriff Courts (Scotland) Act 1907 (which provides that all causes not exceeding fifty pounds in value which are competent in the sheriff court are to be brought in that court only, and are not to be subject to review by the Court of Session) shall have effect as if for the words “fifty pounds” there were substituted the words “ F1£5000”.
F22 Regulation of procedure in civil proceedings
F2232 Power of Court of Session to regulate civil procedure in sheriff court.
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F2232ARules for lay representation
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F2233 Sheriff Court Rules Council.
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F2234 Functions of Sheriff Court Rules Council.
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Summary causes
C135 Summary causes.
1
The definition of “summary cause” contained in paragraph (i) of section 3 of the M2Sheriff Courts (Scotland) Act 1907 shall cease to have effect, and for the purposes of the procedure and practice in civil proceedings in the sheriff court there shall be a form of process, to be known as a “summary cause”, which shall be used for the purposes of all civil proceedings brought in that court, being proceedings of one or other of the following descriptions, namely—
a
actions for payment of money not exceeding F2£5000 in amount (exclusive of interest and expenses);
b
C2c
actionsad factum praestandum and actions for the recovery of possession of heritable or moveable property, other than actions in which there is claimed in addition, or as an alternative, to a decreead factum praestandumor for such recovery, as the case may be, a decree for payment of money exceeding F5£5000 in amount (exclusive of interest and expenses);
d
proceedings which, according to the law and practice existing immediately before the commencement of this Act, might competently be brought in the sheriff’s small debt court or were required to be conducted and disposed of in the summary manner in which proceedings were conducted and disposed of under the Small Debt Acts;
and any reference in the following provisions of this Act, or in any other enactment (whether passed or made before or after the commencement of this Act) relating to civil procedure in the sheriff court, to a summary cause shall be construed as a reference to a summary cause within the meaning of this subsection.
F61A
For the avoidance of doubt it is hereby declared that nothing in subsection (1) above shall prevent the Court of Session from making different rules of procedure and practice in relation to different descriptions of summary cause proceedings.
F72
There shall be a form of summary cause process, to be known as a “small claim”, which shall be used for the purposes of such descriptions of summary cause proceedings as are prescribed by the Lord Advocate by order.
3
No enactment or rule of law relating to admissibility or corroboration of evidence before a court of law shall be binding in a small claim.
4
An order under subsection (2) above shall be by statutory instrument but shall not be made unless a draft of it has been approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament.
36 Procedure in summary causes.
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A summary cause shall be commenced by a summons in, or as nearly as is practicable in, such form as may be prescribed by rules under the said section 32.
C33
The evidence, if any, given in a summary cause shall not be recorded.
F224
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F836A Further provisions as to small claims.
Where the pursuer in a small claim is not—
a
a partnership or a body corporate; or
b
acting in a representative capacity,
he may require the sheriff clerk to effect service of the summons on his behalf.
C4F936B Expenses in small claims.
1
No award of expenses shall be made in a small claim in which the value of the claim does not exceed such sum as the Lord Advocate shall prescribe by order.
2
Any expenses which the sheriff may award in any other small claim shall not exceed such sum as the Lord Advocate shall prescribe by order.
3
Subsections (1) and (2) above do not apply to a party to a small claim—
a
who being a defender—
i
has not stated a defence; or
ii
having stated a defence, has not proceeded with it; or
iii
having stated and proceeded with a defence, has not acted in good faith as to its merits; or
b
on whose part there has been unreasonable conduct in relation to the proceedings or the claim;
nor do they apply in relation to an appeal to the sheriff principal.
4
An order under this section shall be by statutory instrument but shall not be made unless a draft of it has been approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament.
37 Remits.
1
In the case of any ordinary cause brought in the sheriff court the sheriff F10—
a
shall at any stage, on the joint motion of the parties to the cause, direct that the cause be treated as a summary cause, and in that case the cause shall be treated for all purposes (including appeal) as a summary cause and shall proceed accordingly F11;
b
may, subject to section 7 of the Sheriff Courts (Scotland) Act 1907, on the motion of any of the parties to the cause, if he is of the opinion that the importance or difficulty of the cause make it appropriate to do so, remit the cause to the Court of Session.
2
In the case of any summary cause, the sheriff at any stage—
a
shall, on the joint motion of the parties to the cause, and
b
may, on the motion of any of the parties to the cause, if he is of the opinion that the importance or difficulty of the cause makes it appropriate to do so,
direct that the cause be treated as an ordinary cause, and in that case the cause shall be treated for all purposes (including appeal) as an ordinary cause and shall proceed accordingly:
Provided that a direction under this subsection may, in the case of an action for the recovery of possession of heritable or moveable property, be given by the sheriff of his own accord.
F122A
In the case of any action in the sheriff court F13, being an action for divorce or an action in relation to F14parental responsibilities or parental rights (within the meaning of sections 1(3) and 2(4) respectively of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995) in relation to a child or theF15 guardianship or adoption of a child the sheriff may, of his own accord, at any stage remit the action to the Court of Session.
F162B
In the case of any small claim the sheriff at any stage—
a
may, if he is of the opinion that a difficult question of law or a question of fact of exceptional complexity is involved, of his own accord or on the motion of any party to the small claim;
b
shall, on the joint motion of the parties to the small claim,
direct that the small claim be treated as a summary cause (not being a small claim) or ordinary cause, and in that case the small claim shall be treated for all purposes (including appeal) as a summary cause (not being a small claim) or ordinary cause as the case may be.
2C
In the case of any cause which is not a small claim by reason only of any monetary limit applicable to a small claim or to summary causes, the sheriff at any stage shall, on the joint motion of the parties to the cause, direct that the cause be treated as a small claim and in that case the cause shall be treated for all purposes (including appeal) as a small claim and shall proceed accordingly.
F172D
In the case of any action in the sheriff court where the matter to which the action relates could competently be determined by the Land Court by virtue of the Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Act 1991 (c. 55) or the Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Act 2003 (asp 11), the sheriff may (of his own accord or on the motion of any of the parties) at any stage remit the case to the Land Court if he is of the opinion that it is appropriate to do so.
F183
A decision—
a
to remit, or not to remit, under subsection (2A) F19(2B) or (2C) above; or
b
to make, or not to make, a direction by virtue of paragraph ( b ) of, or the proviso to, subsection (2) above,
shall not be subject to review; but from a decision to remit, or not to remit, under subsection (1)( b ) above an appeal shall lie to the Court of Session.
4
In this section “sheriff” includes a sheriff principal.
38 Appeal in summary causes. C5
In the case of F20—
a
any summary cause an appeal shall lie to the sheriff principal on any point of law from the final judgment of the sheriff; and
b
any summary cause other than a small claim an appeal shall lie to the Court of Session on any point of law from the final judgment of the sheriff principal, if the sheriff principal certifies the cause as suitable for such an appeal,
but save as aforesaid an interlocutor of the sheriff or the sheriff principal in any such cause shall not be subject to review.
F22 Miscellaneous and supplemental
F2239. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
F2240. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
F2241 Power of Her Majesty to vary limit to privative jurisdiction of sheriff court, etc.
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F2242 Application of provisions regarding jurisdiction and summary causes.
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Part IV Miscellaneous and General
F2243 Orders, etc.
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F2244 Expenses.
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45 Interpretation.
1
In this Act, unless the contrary intention appears—
a
references to a sheriff principal include references to a temporary sheriff principal, and references to the office of sheriff principal include references to an appointment as a temporary sheriff principal;
b
c
references to an honorary sheriff are references to a person holding the office of honorary sheriff in his capacity as such.
2
In this Act—
a
“enactment” includes an order, regulation, rule or other instrument having effect by virtue of an Act;
b
any reference to any enactment shall, unless the contrary intention appears, be construed as a reference to that enactment as amended or extended, and as including a reference thereto as applied, by or under any other enactment (including this Act).
3
Subject to the foregoing provisions of this section and to any other express provision of this Act, expressions used in this Act and in the M3Sheriff Courts (Scotland) Act 1907 shall have the same meanings in this Act as in that Act.
F2246 Amendment and repeal of enactments.
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F2247 Short title, commencement and extent.
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SCHEDULES
F22SCHEDULE 1 Minor and Consequential Amendment of Enactments
F22 General
F221
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F22 The Execution of Diligence (Scotland) Act 1926
F222
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F22 The Tenancy of Shops (Scotland) Act 1949
F223
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F224
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F22 SCHEDULE 2 Repeal of Enactments
F22Part I General Repeals
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F22Part II Repeals Consequent on Sections 35 to 38 of this Act
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Act (except for ss. 2(3), 3(4)) repealed (S.) (1.4.2015 except for the repeal of ss. 31, 35, 36(2)(3), 36A, 36B, 37, 38, 45, 22.9.2015 for the repeal of ss. 31, 37(1)(b)(2A)(2D), 28.11.2016 for the repeal of ss. 35(2)-(4), 36A, 36B, 37(2B)(2C) and the repeal of specified words in s. 38(b)) by Courts Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 (asp 18), s. 138(2), sch. 5 para. 6(2); S.S.I. 2015/77, art. 2(2)(3), sch. (with art. 7); S.S.I. 2015/247, art. 2, sch. (with art. 9); S.S.I. 2016/291, art. 2, sch. (with art. 3(1)(2))