SHERIFF COURTS (Hansard, 6 July 1977)

§ 27. Mr. Canavan
asked the Lord Advocate how many official visits he has made to sheriff courts in 1977 to date.

§ The Lord Advocate (Mr. Ronald King Murray)
None so far, but I have plans to make several visits in the near future.

§ Mr. Canavan
Before his next visit, will the Lord Advocate tell us a little more about yesterday's announcement of 1242 the inquiry into the courts? Will it have the power to investigate the advisability of prosecuting pickets, in view of the farcical situation in England, where more than 200 people have been arrested at Grunwick, and in view of the fact that even the hon. and learned Member for Kinross and West Perthshire (Mr. Fairbairn) has been known to turn up at Glasgow Airport with his placard to join a picket line protesting about certain foreign visitors?

§ The Lord Advocate
No doubt my hon. Friend has his own predilections for peaceful picketing, which he carries out successfully. In reply to the general question, the terms of reference of the committee that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I have set up were given in a Written Answer yesterday and will be referred to by me in reply to a later Question today.

§ Mr. David Steel
Will the Lord Advocate's visits include visits to the sheriff courts in the Borders and, if so, will he say, then or now, whether the sheriff services in the Borders will continue in future to be on a residential basis or whether we shall be reduced to having itinerant sheriffs from Edinburgh?

§ The Lord Advocate
The right hon. Gentleman is putting forward certain problems that I should look into, and I shall do so.

§ Mr. Gordon Wilson
In the course of his visits to the sheriff courts, will the Lord Advocate look out for those that have the capacity to deal with divorce actions, and make early arrangements for the transfer of jurisdiction to those courts in order to save considerable expense both to the litigants concerned and to the legal aid fund?

§ The Lord Advocate
The hon. Gentleman knows that this is a matter that has been very fully discussed in the House. He has already had very full replies to questions about these problems. However, I take note of them.