Current work

Civil Courts Review

In November 2005, we published The Civil Justice System in Scotland - a case for review?, the final report of the civil justice advisory group chaired by the Right Honourable Lord Coulsfield and funded by the Nuffield Foundation. The report concluded that there was a need for review of a number of important aspects of the civil justice system in Scotland. For more information on that project see the Civil Justice Project webpage.

In February 2007, the Minister for Justice announced that Lord Gill, the Lord Justice Clerk, would lead a review of the civil courts in Scotland.

Sarah O'Neill, the SCC's Legal Officer, is a member of the Policy Group set up to assist the Project Board for the review.

The review consultation paper was published on November 2007, and the deadline for responses was 31 March 2008. To find out more about the civil courts review, and read the consultation paper, click here. To read the SCC response to the consultation paper, published on 13 March 2008, click here.

Small Claims

The Scottish Consumer Council has long campaigned for an increase in the financial limit of the small claims procedure in Scotland. We said that such an increase was necessary to provide improved access to justice for consumers who need to use the courts.

We were delighted that from 14 January 2008, the small claims limit was increased to £3000. To read our press release welcoming the increase, click here.

Interest (Scotland) Bill

This draft Bill will create a new general legal right to claim interest on a sum of money due by one person or business to another. The SCC has some concerns about the impact this might have on  some vulnerable consumers. To read our response to the Scottish Government's consultation on the draft Bill, dated 3 April 2008, click here.

Judiciary and Courts (Scotland) Bill

You can read the SCC's evidence to the Justice Committee on this bill, submitted on 6 March 2008, here.

Mediation

In September 2006, the Scottish Consumer Council published its response to a consultation by the Sheriff Court Rules Council on the sheriff court and alternative dispute resolution. To read the response, click here.

A survey by the Scottish Consumer Council published in March 2005 found that the majority of Scots would consider using mediation to resolve disputes with employers, neighbours, tradesmen, shops, hospitals and schools.

For more information, click here

Legal Aid and Publicly Funded Legal Assistance

We responded to the Scottish Executive consultation Advice for All on the future role of publicly funded legal assistance, and you can find our evidence on the Legal Profession and Legal Aid (Scotland) Bill here.