26(1)For subsection (1) of section 33 (Sheriff Court Rules Council) of the Sheriff Courts (Scotland) Act 1971 there shall be substituted the following subsection—S
“(1)There shall be established a body (to be known as the Sheriff Court Rules Council, and hereafter in this section and section 34 called “the Council”) which shall have the functions conferred on it by section 34, and which shall consist of—
(a)two sheriffs principal, three sheriffs, one advocate, five solicitors and two whole-time sheriff clerks, all appointed by the Lord President of the Court of Session, after consultation with such persons as appear to him to be appropriate;
(b)two persons appointed by the Lord President after consultation with the Secretary of State, being persons appearing to the Lord President to have—
(i)a knowledge of the working procedures and practices of the civil courts;
(ii)a knowledge of consumer affairs; and
(iii)an awareness of the interests of litigants in the civil courts; and
(c)one person appointed by the Secretary of State, being a person appearing to the Secretary of State to be qualified for such appointment.”
(2)In subsection (3) of that section, for the words “consultation with such persons as may appear to him appropriate” there shall be substituted the words “ such consultation as is mentioned in paragraph (a) or, as the case may be, (b) of subsection (1) above ”.