§ Lord James Douglas-Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland on what date he proposes to bring into effect section 1 of the Divorce Jurisdiction, Court Fees and Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1983.
§ Mr. YoungerI understand that the Sheriff Court Rules Council has made substantial progress on the rules of court which will govern sheriff court divorce procedures and, if that progress is maintained, I would hope that it will be possible to complete all the other associated work in time to allow section 1 of the Divorce Jurisdiction, Court Fees and Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1983 to be brought into force with effect from 1 May 1984. I hope that this early intimation of a provisional date for the introduction of divorce into the sheriff court will be of assistance to those who have a direct interest in its introduction and I am arranging for the main interested bodies to be informed.