Hansard

Kenny MacAskill SNP

Amendments 22 and 35, which are in the name of Liam McArthur, supported by Tavish Scott, would omit section 26, which abolishes the office of honorary sherif...

Kenny MacAskill SNP

Amendments 1 and 2 are technical amendments that respond to a point raised by the dean of the Faculty of Advocates when he wrote to the committee on 16 April...

Elaine Murray Lab

The committee’s stage 1 report considered that the proposed privative limit of £150,000 is too high. It would constitute a 3,000 per cent increase on the cur...

Kenny MacAskill SNP

I am grateful to Rod Campbell for that information. The same point had been intimated to me in my discussions with the Lord President. With regard to Roderi...

Kenny MacAskill SNP

Like members who have spoken, the Government sees where John Pentland is coming from. We all have great sympathy there, and that is why we have taken action ...

Alison McInnes LD

Amendments 41 and 42 would remove adoption and forced marriage proceedings from the list of civil proceedings in which a summary sheriff has competence, as s...

The Convener SNP

The result of the division is: For 4, Against 5, Abstentions 0. Amendment 41 disagreed to. Amendment 42 not moved. Schedule 1 agreed to. Sections 44 and ...

Kenny MacAskill SNP

I begin by addressing the amendments in the name of Elaine Murray. The purpose of amendment 29 is to ensure that an appeal in the sheriff appeal court is hea...

Elaine Murray Lab

The amendments in my name in this group are probing amendments. They seek to address the concerns that the committee voiced about the fact that appeals again...

Kenny MacAskill SNP

In the debate on the previous group of amendments, members stressed the importance of having a sheriff appeal court constituted by three experienced judges. ...

Kenny MacAskill SNP

This group of amendments is intended to assist with the successful establishment of the sheriff appeal court. Amendment 7 is required to introduce amendment ...

Alison McInnes LD

I hear what the minister says and recognise the importance of ensuring that services throughout Scotland are of a piece, but it is important for the Parliame...

Roderick Campbell (North East Fife) (SNP) SNP

I welcome the cabinet secretary’s amendments. They deal well with the situation in which there might be multiple financial claims but where one of those clai...

Sandra White (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP) SNP

I thank Roderick Campbell for his explanation of amendment 39. He started by saying that we might be confused by the amendment, but he has clarified for us e...

The Convener SNP

John Finnie has made an important point about later sections in the bill; after all, we have to be able to bring all the provisions together. Christian Allar...

Roderick Campbell SNP

I just want to clarify what I was saying about the change in England. In non-personal injury cases the limit is £100,000. In personal injury cases the limit ...

The Convener SNP

Can you tell us how you will ease the test? I do not know whether the amendment that you mentioned has been lodged, but it would be helpful for us to know—or...

Margaret Mitchell Con

Alison McInnes makes a compelling case. These cases are very complex and emotive, and it makes sense to remove them from the competence of the summary sherif...

Kenny MacAskill SNP

My initial point is that the summary sheriffs will be highly qualified; they will have at least 10 years’ professional standing. As the convener said, assign...

The Convener SNP

Amendment 5, in the name of the cabinet secretary, is grouped with amendments 29, 9, 10, 30, 11, 12, 15 to 18, 21 and 34. I understand this bit. If amendment...

Margaret Mitchell Con

I have sympathy with amendment 29, in the name of Elaine Murray, which tries to improve the bill’s provisions by looking at the issue of a single sheriff hea...

Margaret Mitchell Con

I regret that the cabinet secretary did not listen to my opening comments, because I made it quite clear that more sheriffs principal would be appointed and ...

The Convener SNP

Amendment 6 is in a group on its own.

The Convener SNP

The result of the division is: For 6, Against 3, Abstentions 0. Amendment 11 agreed to. Amendment 12 moved—Kenny MacAskill.

The Convener SNP

The question is, that amendment 22 be agreed to. Are we all agreed? Members: No.

Elaine Murray (Dumfriesshire) (Lab) Lab

I welcome the amendments and I am also pleased to support them.

The Convener SNP

This has been explained to me, but I knew that I would get it wrong. We will start again. I should have had a bigger breakfast. We understand the pre-emptio...

The Convener SNP

Have you spoken to amendment 24 yet?

John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Ind) Ind

There is sometimes difficulty in looking at one section in splendid isolation. My intention is to support amendment 24, in the name of Sandra White—which is ...

Elaine Murray Lab

They were provided to me by a Queen’s counsel.