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Committee

Justice Committee 29 January 2019

29 Jan 2019 · S5 · Justice Committee

Item of business

Subordinate Legislation

First-tier Tribunal for Scotland Housing and Property Chamber (Incidental Provisions) Regulations 2019 [Draft]

Regan, Ash SNP Edinburgh Eastern Watch on SPTV

Good morning. I am pleased to be here to discuss two fairly technical instruments that will make the housing and property chamber of the First-tier Tribunal operate more efficiently, in line with the original policy intentions, to deliver the benefits of specialism, consistency and accessibility. That will also deliver improved access to justice for both tenants and landlords in the private rented sector. I will give a little background on the development of the housing and property chamber of the First-tier Tribunal, followed by a summary of the two related instruments that are before the committee this morning. The housing and property chamber was established in December 2016, when two existing housing panels transferred to the First-tier Tribunal, as part of the first phase of tribunal reform. The creation of the chamber saw the transfer of civil jurisdiction in relation to most private tenancy-related cases from the sheriff court to the First-tier Tribunal in December 2017. The First-tier Tribunal can now make orders, equivalent to the decrees previously made by sheriff courts. For example, sheriffs can make orders to evict tenants, and the tribunal can now do the same. The basis for raising a case and the matters to be taken into account also remain the same. Rules of procedure covering all types of civil cases in the new tribunal were made by virtue of the First-tier Tribunal Housing and Property Chamber (Procedure) Regulations 2017, which are also known as the 2017 rules. The court transfer was a large-scale transfer under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2014. As the First-tier Tribunal gained operational experience of handling its new case load from the sheriff court, it identified some areas where legislation could be clarified. My officials listened carefully to the views of the First-tier Tribunal and agreed that there were some areas where legislation could be amended to provide that clarification. The statutory instruments before the committee today are a direct response to the issues raised by the tribunal. I now turn to the instruments themselves. The committee will come on to consider the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland Housing and Property Chamber (Procedure) Amendment Regulations 2018 (SSI 2018/378), which is a negative instrument. The instrument amends the 2017 rules that set out the procedures of the housing and property chamber. The affirmative instrument—the draft First-tier Tribunal for Scotland Housing and Property Chamber (Incidental Provisions) Regulations 2019—is needed to amend primary legislation. Subject to the approval of the committee, it will resolve some minor drafting matters and amend the Debtors (Scotland) Act 1987 and the Bankruptcy and Diligence etc (Scotland) Act 2007. It makes clear the procedures to be followed to make certain orders that were previously made in the sheriff court and are now made in the First-tier Tribunal, as a consequence of the transfer of civil jurisdiction. That is a brief overview of the two sets of regulations that are before the committee today. I will be happy to answer any questions that members may have.