Title and introductory text
Sheriff Courts (Scotland) Act 1971 1971 c. 58 An Act to amend the law with respect to sheriff courts in Scotland, and for purposes connected therewith.
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Sheriff Courts (Scotland) Act 1971
United Kingdom · statute
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In force since 2026-08-01, as the publisher states.
Copy read on 2026-11-08. The page it was read from
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.
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Contents: 13 provisions
- Title and introductory text
- 2 Power of Secretary of State to alter sheriffdoms.
- 3 Sheriff court districts and places where sheriff courts are to be held.
- 4 Offices of sheriff principal and sheriff.
- 35 Summary causes.
- 36 Procedure in summary causes.
- 36A Further provisions as to small claims.
- 36B Expenses in small claims.
- 37 Remits.
- 38 Appeal in summary causes.
- 45 Interpretation.
- SCHEDULE 1 Minor and Consequential Amendment of Enactments
- SCHEDULE 2 Repeal of Enactments
Proposed changes to this act
No one has proposed a change to this act yet.
13 provisions
2 Power of Secretary of State to alter sheriffdoms.
(1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2B) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (5) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Propose a change3 Sheriff court districts and places where sheriff courts are to be held.
(1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2B) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (5) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (5A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (6) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Propose a change4 Offices of sheriff principal and sheriff.
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Propose a change35 Summary causes.
(1) The definition of “summary cause” contained in paragraph (i) of section 3 of the Sheriff Courts (Scotland) Act 1907 shall cease to have effect, and for the purposes of the procedure and practice in civil proceedings in the sheriff court there shall be a form of process, to be known as a “summary cause”, which shall be used for the purposes of all civil proceedings brought in that court, being proceedings of one or other of the following descriptions, namely— (a) actions for payment of money not exceeding £5000 in amount (exclusive of interest and expenses); (b) actions of multiplepoinding, actions of furthcoming . . . , where the value of the fundin medio, or the value of the arrested fund or subject, . . . as the case may be, does not exceed £5000 (exclusive of interest and expenses); (c) actionsad factum praestandum and actions for the recovery of possession of heritable or moveable property, other than actions in which there is claimed in addition, or as an alternative, to a decreead factum praestandumor for such recovery, as the case may be, a decree for payment of money exceeding £5000 in amount (exclusive of interest and expenses); (d) proceedings which, according to the law and practice existing immediately before the commencement of this Act, might competently be brought in the sheriff’s small debt court or were required to be conducted and disposed of in the summary manner in which proceedings were conducted and disposed of under the Small Debt Acts; (e) proceedings under section 14(1)(b) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 for termination of a tenant’s interest in a tenancy, other than proceedings in which there is claimed, in addition or as an alternative to an order for such termination, a decree for payment of money exceeding £5,000 in amount (exclusive of interest and expenses); and any reference in the following provisions of this Act, or in any other enactment (whether passed or made before or after the commencement of this Act) relating to civil procedure in the sheriff court, to a summary cause shall be construed as a reference to a summary cause within the meaning of this subsection. (1A) For the avoidance of doubt it is hereby declared that nothing in subsection (1) above shall prevent the Court of Session from making different rules of procedure and practice in relation to different descriptions of summary cause proceedings. (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Propose a change36 Procedure in summary causes.
(1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2) A summary cause shall be commenced by a summons in, or as nearly as is practicable in, such form as may be prescribed by rules under the said section 32. (3) The evidence, if any, given in a summary cause shall not be recorded. (4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Propose a change36A Further provisions as to small claims.
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Propose a change36B Expenses in small claims.
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Propose a change37 Remits.
(1) In the case of any ordinary cause brought in the sheriff court the sheriff — (a) shall at any stage, on the joint motion of the parties to the cause, direct that the cause be treated as a summary cause, and in that case the cause shall be treated for all purposes (including appeal) as a summary cause and shall proceed accordingly (b) . . . . . . (2) In the case of any summary cause, the sheriff at any stage— (a) shall, on the joint motion of the parties to the cause, and (b) may, on the motion of any of the parties to the cause, if he is of the opinion that the importance or difficulty of the cause makes it appropriate to do so, direct that the cause be treated as an ordinary cause, and in that case the cause shall be treated for all purposes (including appeal) as an ordinary cause and shall proceed accordingly: Provided that a direction under this subsection may, in the case of an action for the recovery of possession of heritable or moveable property, be given by the sheriff of his own accord. (2A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2B) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2C) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2D) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (3) A decision— (a) to remit, or not to remit, under subsection (2A) (2B) or (2C) above; or (b) to make, or not to make, a direction by virtue of paragraph ( b ) of, or the proviso to, subsection (2) above, shall not be subject to review; but from a decision to remit, or not to remit, under subsection (1)( b ) above an appeal shall lie to the Court of Session. (4) In this section “sheriff” includes a sheriff principal.
Propose a change38 Appeal in summary causes.
In the case of — (a) any summary cause an appeal shall lie to the sheriff principal on any point of law from the final judgment of the sheriff; and (b) any summary cause ... an appeal shall lie to the Court of Session on any point of law from the final judgment of the sheriff principal, if the sheriff principal certifies the cause as suitable for such an appeal, but save as aforesaid an interlocutor of the sheriff or the sheriff principal in any such cause shall not be subject to review.
Propose a change45 Interpretation.
(1) In this Act, unless the contrary intention appears— (a) references to a sheriff principal include references to a temporary sheriff principal, and references to the office of sheriff principal include references to an appointment as a temporary sheriff principal; (b) references to a sheriff include references to a part-time sheriff and an honorary sheriff, and references to the office of sheriff include references to an appointment as a part-timesheriff and to the office of honorary sheriff; (c) references to an honorary sheriff are references to a person holding the office of honorary sheriff in his capacity as such. (2) In this Act— (a) “enactment” includes an order, regulation, rule or other instrument having effect by virtue of an Act; (b) any reference to any enactment shall, unless the contrary intention appears, be construed as a reference to that enactment as amended or extended, and as including a reference thereto as applied, by or under any other enactment (including this Act). (3) Subject to the foregoing provisions of this section and to any other express provision of this Act, expressions used in this Act and in the Sheriff Courts (Scotland) Act 1907 shall have the same meanings in this Act as in that Act.
Propose a changeSCHEDULE 1 Minor and Consequential Amendment of Enactments
Section 46(1). General 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Execution of Diligence (Scotland) Act 1926 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Tenancy of Shops (Scotland) Act 1949 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Propose a changeSCHEDULE 2 Repeal of Enactments
Section 46(2). Part I General Repeals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Part II Repeals Consequent on Sections 35 to 38 of this Act . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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