SECTION 99: Rights and liabilities of the Crown in different capacities.
Purpose and Effect
Section 99 provides for legal relations to arise between the Crown in right of Her Majesty’s Government in the UK and the Crown in right of the Scottish Administration. It provides that rights and liabilities may arise between the Crown in such different capacities by virtue of a contract, by operation of law or by virtue of an enactment and that property and liabilities can be transferred between them as if they were subjects. It also provides that the Crown can sue each other in such different capacities in respect of such property and liabilities or in respect of the exercise of, or failure to exercise, any function exercisable by an office holder of the Crown in one of those capacities. This will enable the Scottish Ministers, in appropriate cases, to sue a Minister in the UK Government (or vice versa) in contract or in delict or to seek judicial review of the exercise, or failure to exercise, of some function by that Minister.
Parliamentary Consideration
| Stage | Date | Column |
|---|---|---|
| LR | 2-Nov-98 | 74 |
General
Section 99 ensures that the two manifestations of the Crown, as the UK Government and as the Scottish Administration, are placed in the same relationship to each other as they would be if they were not the Crown but two subjects. Legal relationships can be created between them and they are able to enforce any rights or obligations created. Without this provision, the doctrine of Crown indivisibility would have meant that it would not be possible to create legally enforceable obligations, as the two would have been regarded as parts of the same body.
The Crown Suits (Scotland) Act 1857, as amended by paragraph 2 of Schedule 8, provides for the Lord Advocate to represent the Scottish Administration (or any part of it) and for the Advocate General for Scotland to represent the UK Government in Scottish legal proceedings. Amendments are also made to the Crown Proceedings Act 1947 by paragraph 7 of Schedule 8 to differentiate between Crown proceedings where the proceedings are by or against any part of the Scottish Administration and where they are by or against the UK Government.
Details of Provisions
Subsection (1) provides that rights and liabilities may arise between the Crown in right of Her Majesty’s Government in the UK and the Crown in right of the Scottish Administration by virtue of a contract, by operation of law, or by virtue of enactment as they may arise between subjects.
Subsection (2) provides that property and liabilities may be transferred between the Crown in such different capacities as between subjects and that they may create, vary or extinguish any property or liability as subjects may.
Subsection (3) provides that judicial proceedings in respect of property or liabilities of the Crown or the exercise of functions of office-holders of the Crown may be instituted by the Crown in either capacity and the Crown in the other capacity may be a party to the proceedings. In appropriate cases, the Advocate General, as representing the Secretary of State, could for example institute proceedings in contract or delict against the Lord Advocate, as representing Scottish Ministers or seek judicial review of some decision taken by Scottish Ministers, such as to appoint staff in breach of the provisions referred to in section 51(3).
Subsection (4) provides that section 99 applies to a unilateral obligation as it applies to a contract. This is because, under Scots law, legal obligations can arise, in certain cases, as a result of a promise or undertaking.
Subsection (5) defines an “office-holder” in relation to the Crown in right of Her Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom as any Minister of the Crown or other office-holder under the Crown in that capacity and, in relation to the Crown in right of the Scottish Administration, as any office-holder in the Scottish Administration. It defines “subject” as a person not acting on behalf of the Crown.
