Age of Criminal Responsibility (Scotland) Act 2019

56 Register of child interview rights practitioners

(1) The Scottish Ministers must establish and maintain a register of persons who are authorised to provide advice, support and assistance to children in relation to their involvement in investigative interviews.

(2) A person may be included in the register only if the person is a solicitor who is entitled to provide children’s legal assistance under section 28M of the Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1986.

(3) The Scottish Ministers may by regulations make further provision in connection with—

(a) the register (including the establishment and maintenance of the register),

(b) child interview rights practitioners (including provision for the payment of expenses, fees and allowances to such practitioners by the Scottish Ministers).

(4) Regulations under subsection (3)(b) may in particular include provision—

(a) about how child interview rights practitioners are appointed to cases, and

(b) requiring, so far as reasonably practicable, the views of the child involved in the case as to the appointment of a particular child interview rights practitioner to be ascertained and, taking account of the child’s age and maturity, had regard to.

(5) In this section—

• “investigative interview” means an investigative interview authorised by virtue of section 40(2) or by a child interview order,

• “solicitor” means a solicitor enrolled in the roll of solicitors kept under section 7 of the Solicitors (Scotland) Act 1980.