§ 44. Lord James Douglas-Hamiltonasked the Solicitor-General for Scotland if he will make a statement on the extent to which the backlog of cases has been reduced since the strike of the clerks of court; and how long it will take for the backlog to be dealt with.
§ The Solicitor-General for ScotlandThe effects of industrial action taken by clerks of court were confined to Glasgow and Edinburgh sheriff courts. As a result of that400W action, a considerable backlog of cases built up at both courts. In Edinburgh sheriff court, however, it is anticipated that the situation, in regard to both solemn and summary cases, will have returned to normal by the end of the year. In Glasgow, due to the need for the courts to deal with cases which had been re-raised, it is not possible to state how long it will take for the backlog to be dealt with, but it is intended to provide additional trial courts after the new year.