§ Mr. Fowlerasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the net cost to public funds of administering the law courts in Scotland in 1965–66, 1966–67. 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71 and 1971–72; whether he will detail that expenditure; and approximately what proportion was attributable to criminal trials.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellThe costs of administering the Court of Session, High Court, Land Court and the sheriff courts in Scotland are presented in the Law Charges and Courts of Law (Scotland) Vote, which also includes other expenditure not directly connected with the running of these courts. Exact figures in the form requested are not therefore readily available, but very approximate costs are given in the table below. These do not include expenditure on the burgh and JP courts which are administered by local authorities and for which information is not available centrally.
£ million 1965–66 0.88 1966–67 0.92 1967–68 0.93 1968–69 1.02 1969–70 1.22 1970–71 1.47 1971–72 1.83 The bulk of criminal business in Scotland is dealt with in the sheriff courts, which also deal with civil court work and other business. These functions are not costed separately.