Register of child interview rights practitioners
173.Section 56 requires the Scottish Ministers to establish and maintain a register of child interview rights practitioners (that is, persons who are authorised to provide advice, support and assistance to children in the context of investigative interviews authorised by section 40 or by a child interview order). Child interview rights practitioners must be solicitors and must in addition be entitled to provide children’s legal assistance under section 28M of the Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1986. The Scottish Ministers may make regulations (subject to the negative procedure – see section 82(2)(c)) containing further provision about the register and about child interview rights practitioners. The provision made about child interview rights practitioners might include, for example, provision about the payment of fees to them and about how individual practitioners are appointed to particular cases (including requiring the views of the child involved to be ascertained).
