HL Deb 21 May 1998 vol 589 cc201-2WA
Lord Stanley of Alderley

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether legal decisions given by a sheriff in a Scottish court have any bearing on similar cases in England and Wales. [HL1925]

Lord Donoughue

Legal decisions given by a sheriff are not binding on other courts, including in Scotland, or on similar cases before the Scottish court where the legal decisions were made. However, such decisions may inform the consideration of similar cases anywhere in the United Kingdom.