Listen
Court reforms
06/11/2008
Plans for new Justice of the Peace Courts across the Tayside, Central and Fife sheriffdom were announced by the Scottish Court Service (SCS) today.
Under reforms to the summary justice system, District Courts currently operated by local authorities will become Justice of the Peace courts operated by the SCS.
The establishment of a unified courts administration will help ensure consistent service for court users around Scotland and introduce integrated technology to the new courts.
The arrangements, which have been developed following consultation with a range of justice and local agencies, will come into place in February 2009 are that:
- Arbroath, Forfar and Cupar Justice of the Peace courts will sit in the Sheriff Court buildings in these towns. This reflects the current arrangements for District Courts in Arbroath, Forfar and Cupar
- Alloa Justice of the Peace court will relocate to the newly extended Alloa Sheriff Court
- Dundee and Kirkcaldy Justice of the Peace courts will sit in the former District Court buildings in these towns
- Perth, Dunfermline, Falkirk and Stirling Justice of the Peace Courts will relocate to the Sheriff Court buildings in these towns as soon as this can be arranged. The current plan would see the move in Falkirk take place by March 2009 and those in Stirling and Dunfermline by February 2010. Plans for the move in Perth are still being developed. In the interim Perth, Dunfermline, Stirling and Falkirk Justice of the Peace Courts will sit in the former district court until they can be accommodated in the sheriff court
Chief Executive of the Scottish Court Service, Eleanor Emberson, said:
"Prior to the consultation, other justice bodies in Tayside, Central and Fife were closely involved in the working groups which developed the unification proposals for this Sheriffdom.
"We therefore consulted on a plan which already had strong support and the few matters raised were largely about operational issues rather than location. I am content we can resolve these in our implementation discussions.
"The real benefits of co-locating Justice of the Peace courts with Sheriff Courts, when possible, include providing a single point of contact and in many cases improved facilities for all court users.
"We look forward to welcoming those district court staff who will transfer to us when unification takes place in February 2009."