SECTION 85: Exemption from jury service.
Purpose and Effect
This section provides for members of the Parliament and the Scottish Executive to be exempt from jury service in Scotland and England and Wales.
General
This section parallels arrangements which apply to members of the UK Parliament and UK Ministers to ensure that the performance of their public duties is not impaired by the need to serve on a jury.
Parliamentary Consideration
| Stage | Date | Column |
|---|---|---|
| LC | 6-Oct-98 | 348 |
Details of Provisions
Subsection (1) provides for members of the Parliament, members of the Scottish Executive and junior Scottish Ministers to be excused jury service as of right in England and Wales.
Subsection (2) provides for those listed above to be excused jury service as of right in Scotland.
Exemption from jury service in Northern Ireland has been provided for by making equivalent amendments to the Juries (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 (S.I. 1996/1141) in paragraph 23 of Schedule 1 to the Scotland Act 1998 (Consequential Modifications) (No. 1) Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/1042). Paragraphs 7, 9 and 23 also provide exemption from jury service for the Auditor General for Scotland.
While all those listed above are entitled as of right to be excused jury service they could serve if they so wished.
