§ Mr. McMasterTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many cases under summary procedure, have been brought to trial within 14 days by(a) the Paisley procurator fiscal, and (b) other procurator fiscal offices in the past 10 years; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe information is not available. Procurators fiscal are required to keep a record only of the average number of weeks between pleading and trial diet. The period will vary according to the particulars of the case. For example, in custody cases under summary procedure, the trial must commence within 40 days of the bringing of the complaint in court. If the accused is not in custody, there is likely to be a delay of several weeks between the diets, unless the circumstances justify the fixing of an early trial diet. Early diets are often fixed in cases involving children or where the anticipated availability of particular witnesses makes an early diet desirable.