§ Mr. Buchananasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the waiting time for disposal of criminal and civil cases awaiting trial in each of the sheriffdoms of Scotland.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellThis varies between sheriff court districts within sheriffdoms and according to the nature of the proceedings, and full information is not readily available. The following table gives, for the main sheriff courts, the intervals which elapse in the current state of business between pleading diet and trial diet in summary criminal cases not involving custody which go to trial, and between allowance of proof and proof in ordinary civil actions. At this time of year the intervals are extended because of the holiday season.
SHERIFF COURTS—INTERVALS BEFORE TRIAL (July, 1971) Court Summary Criminal (Interval between pleading and trial diets)* months Ordinary Civil (Interval between allowance of proof and proof) months Aberdeen 5 4½ Ayr 4 2½ Cupar 1½ 1½ Dunfermline 1 1 Kirkcaldy 2 2 Dumbarton 5½ 4½ Dumfries 3 2½ Dundee 3 3 Dunoon 3 3 Edinburgh 5 5½ Glasgow 3 3½ Airdrie 2½ 4 Lanark 3 3 Haddington 3 2 Hamilton 3 4½ Inverness 4½ 3 Kilmarnock 3½ 5 Linlithgow 4 4 Paisley 3½ 3½ Greenock 1½ 4 Perth 3½ 3½ Stirling 4 4 Falkirk 3 4 * In cases not involving remand in custody.