Single body to run summary courts
21 Mar 05
JPs likely to be spared in Executive response to McInnes Report due tomorrow
A single body is to take over the running of Scotland's 60 district courts and 49 sheriff summary courts in a bid to speed up hearings.
The new administrative body will take over from the 30 local authorities that currently run the district courts. Sheriff courts are currently managed by the Scottish Court Service.
The Scottish Executive says the move will be one of a number announced this week to improve court effectiveness in dealing with petty offending. At present sheriff and district courts have different computer systems, which can mean accused are ordered to appear at both sheriff and district courts on the same day.
The proposal is in line with the recommendations of the McInnes Report on the summary justice system in Scotland. The plans to be announced tomorrow represent the Executive's response to the report, which also proposed greater sentencing powers and more use of alternatives to court prosecution, such as fiscal fines.
However the Executive is believed not to accept the most controversial recommendation in the report, from which a minority on the review group dissented - Scotland's 700 justices of peace will not be abolished and replaced by "summary sheriffs", as McInnes proposed.