Administration of Justice (Scotland) Act 1933

31 Number of sheriffs and sheriffdoms

(1) On the occurence of a vacancy in the office of the Sheriff of Chancery that office shall be united with the office of the sheriff in whose sheriffdom the city of Edinburgh is included.

(2) It shall be lawful for the Secretary of State, from time to time, as vacancies in the office of sheriff occur, by order, to form new sheriffdoms by uniting into one sheriffdom two or more counties, or parts of counties, whether the counties affected by any such order form, at the passing of this Act, separate sheriffdoms or are united with other counties into one sheriffdom.

(3) Any union into one sheriffdom effected by an order under the last foregoing subsection shall, notwithstanding anything in any Act, have effect as a complete union as regards the jurisdiction, powers and duties of the sheriff and his substitutes, and the powers, duties, rights and privileges of solicitors practising in the sheriff courts.

(4) An order made under this section shall be laid before each House of Parliament forthwith and shall not come into force until it has been approved by a resolution of each House.

(5) When a vacancy shall occur in the office of sheriff of any sheriffdom the Secretary of State may, if he deems it expedient to do so, pending the consideration of the question whether an order under this section affecting such sheriffdom should be made, or the coming into force of any such order, appoint a sheriff of some other sheriffdom, or an advocate of not less than five years' standing, to act as interim sheriff of such sheriffdom or of any part thereof, and on such interim appointment being made the Treasury may, on the recommendation of the Secretary of State, allow such interim sheriff such remuneration as they think fit out of moneys to be provided by Parliament.

(6) In this section the expressions "sheriff " shall not include a sheriff-substitute.