Category Archives: Justice

Claire’s statement on Fife Drug Court closure

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Last month one of only two drug courts in Scotland heard its final case as Fife Drug Court closed. The court, which sits at Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline sheriff courts, was opened in 2002, following the setup of a similar initiative in Glasgow.

It was reported in the national newspapers that one of the reasons behind the closure of the drugs court in Fife was due to lack of court capacity. This follows proposed changes to the court service in Fife which will see the end of jury trials in Kirkcaldy and the closure of the sheriff court in Cupar.

I am deeply disappointed that this decision has been taken Continue reading →

Rethink needed over Police Station desk closures

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I have called for the Scottish Government and Police Scotland to rethink plans to close the front desk at Burntisland Police Station along with the reduction of hours for the front desk at Levenmouth.

The request comes after Police Scotland published proposals which would see over 65 front desk closures across Scotland, with several more experiencing a reduction in hours.  Continue reading →

Court System is heading for Gridlock

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This week the Scottish Government has been warned by  the Faculty of Advocates and the Law Society of Scotland that the Courts Reform (Scotland) Bill will lead to a backlog in the system. I share these fears and believe that with the current closures due to still take place the court service is in danger of heading to a ‘gridlock’.

The bill will see cases where damages of less than £150,000 heard by new summary sheriffs rather than the Court of Session and cases would be held at sheriff courts across Scotland despite the Scottish Government’s recent decision to close 10 local sheriff courts. Locally the changes will see the closure of Cupar Sheriff Court with trials moving to Dundee and jury trials no longer taking place in Kirkcaldy, with trials moving to Dunfermline.

The move of all jury trials from Kirkcaldy would see an increase in jury trials by 283% at Dunfermline Sheriff Court. There are fears that the number of trials at Dunfermline would also increase with the passing of the Court Reform Bill leading to concerns about delays.

Continue reading →

Claire meets local groups over court closures

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Last week I met with local Kirkcaldy solicitors and Victim Support over the changes being imposed on Kirkcaldy and Cupar Sheriff Courts by the Scottish Government. The changes will see the closure of Cupar Sheriff Court with trials moving to Dundee and jury trials no longer taking place in Kirkcaldy, with trials moving to Dunfermline. The move of all jury trials from Kirkcaldy to Dunfermline would see an increase in jury trials by 283%, leading to concerns about delays.

During the meeting we discussed the impacts these changes will have on access of justice for those within the Kingdom. Concerns raised included the potential for increases in delays, other concerns raised included the cost and travel implications for victims and jurors, the number of courts available and the failure for justice to be delivered locally. Continue reading →

Claire calls for court closures rethink in Holyrood debate

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Today I called for the Scottish Government to reconsider their support for court closures across Scotland, including Cupar Sheriff Court, during Scottish Labour Party Business in Holyrood. Todays debate will be the only opportunity to discuss the closures in Parliament out with the Justice Committee and it was important to highlight the Scottish Government’s decisions to accept all the recommendations from Shaping Scotland’s Court Service without proper scrutiny. 

The paper, published this month by the Scottish Court Service, recommends the closure of courts across Scotland, including Cupar Sheriff Court in Fife due to its proximity to Dundee. Other courts affected by the recommendations include Dingwall, Arbroath, Stonehaven and Haddington. Continue reading →

Claire calls for Scottish Government rethink over Drugs Court closure

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I am extremely disappointed to learn of the Scottish Government’s decision to stop funding the Drug Court initiative in Fife and I have called on the Scottish Government to reconsider its decision.

The withdrawal of the Drug Court in Fife will leave a significant gap in the provision of dealing with the issue of drugs in the Kingdom and it will only add further pressures onto other agencies working with those with addiction problems.

This latest decision, along with the proposed closures and changes to court services across Fife by the Scottish Government will only add further strain to the local justice system and potentially lead to job losses.

Funding for the Drug Court had been provided on an annual basis, however during discussions to move to a 2 year funding model the Scottish Government informed Fife Council that the decision has been taken to end the Drug Court in Fife by the close of the financial year 2013/2014.

The Fife Drug Court has been running as a pilot project since 2002 in partnership with Fife Council, NHS Fife, Fife Police and the Scottish Court Service.

I will be writing to the Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill with a number of questions regarding the closure and will be seeking a meeting to discuss this issue.

Cost concerns over court changes

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Last week in Parliament I raised my concerns over the proposed changes to Scottish courts to the Justice Secretary during General Questions. These changes include closing Cupar Sheriff Court with business moving to Dundee, and the reorganisation of Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court with jury trials moving to Dunfermline.

I have concerns that the Scottish Court Service has not published a robust cost benefit analysis for the proposed changes that could lead to the closures and reorganisation not realising significant savings whilst at the same time significantly reducing access to local justice.

There seems to be growing evidence that what has been proposed in Fife will not only fail to result in significant savings but may actually lead to an increase in costs.

I asked the Cabinet Secretary Kenny MacAskill if he shared my concerns that the Court Services has failed to recognise the potential for increased costs as a result of their proposals. I was disappointed in his response indicating that he does not.

The Scottish Court Service has failed to publish a robust cost benefit analysis. They claim this is a money saving exercise yet it is increasingly clear that increased travel costs, along with the reduction in access to local justice, means the proposals for Fife are seriously flawed and short-sighted.

The consultation had no indication of the extra costs that will be incurred by the proposed changes and decisions of this magnitude should not be made blindly. It is vital that the Scottish Government is open and honest with the people of Fife.

The consultation, which closed just before Christmas, is on the back of the Scottish Government’s draft budget which will see the Scottish Court Service’s budget cut by £10.9 million over the next two years.

I have submitted a response highlighting my opposition to the closure of Cupar Sheriff Court, the removal of jury trials from Kirkcaldy and the amalgamation of Kirkcaldy Justice of the Peace into Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court.