Scottish Court Service (Hansard, 18 June 1996)

§ Mr. Michael Forsyth

Following consultation with the Lord President of the Court of Session and the sheriffs principal, I have set the following key performance targets for the Scottish Court Service for 1996–97:

1. That no cases should fall as a result of the statutory time limits being breached.
2. Targets for Waiting Periods

85 per cent. of diets allocated in the Court of Session within waiting periods set by the Lord President;
80 per cent. of criminal and justiciary appeals allocated to a roll within waiting periods set by the Lord Justice General;
80 per cent. of sheriff courts to report summary criminal waiting periods agreed with the sheriffs principal, currently 12 weeks;
90 per cent. of sheriff courts to report waiting periods between request for ordinary civil proof or debate and diet agreed with the sheriffs principal, currently 12 weeks;
80 per cent. of sheriff courts reporting lack of time adjournments at 5 per cent. or lower.

3. Targets for quality of service and provision

to achieve 95 per cent. of the standards for administrative business in the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary set by the Lord President/Lord Justice General;
95 per cent. of sheriff courts to achieve the overall standards for administrative business agreed with sheriffs principal;
80 per cent. of courthouses to meet the "coming to court" standards set out in the justice charter for Scotland.

4. Cost and efficiency

staff, accommodation and administrative costs to be kept within £1,020 per court sitting day;
70 per cent. of the total costs of civil business in the Court of Session and in the sheriff courts to be recovered through fee income.

Full details of the performance measures, including the agreed waiting periods, administrative standards and "coming to court" standards are set out in the Scottish Court Service framework document. Details of performance in 1995–96 will be published in the Scottish Court Service's first annual report.