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					<dc:identifier>http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/section/31/enacted</dc:identifier><dc:title>Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Act 2025</dc:title><dc:publisher>King's Printer for Scotland</dc:publisher><dc:modified>2025-11-11</dc:modified>
					
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</ukm:DocumentClassification><ukm:Year Value="2025"/><ukm:Number Value="12"/><ukm:EnactmentDate Date="2025-10-30"/><ukm:ISBN Value="9780105904410"/><ukm:UnappliedEffects><ukm:UnappliedEffect AffectingClass="ScottishStatutoryInstrument" AffectingYear="2026" Modified="2026-04-07T15:53:31Z" URI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/effect/key-8315746bf9efd6cf0828dce420c6f79d" AffectedExtent="S" AffectingNumber="120" AffectingURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ssi/2026/120" Row="42" AffectingProvisions="reg. 2 sch." AffectedURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2025/12" Type="coming into force" AffectedProvisions="s. 31" AffectedNumber="12" EffectId="key-8315746bf9efd6cf0828dce420c6f79d" AffectedYear="2025" RequiresApplied="true" AffectedClass="ScottishAct"><ukm:AffectedTitle>Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Act 2025</ukm:AffectedTitle><ukm:AffectedProvisions><ukm:Section Ref="section-31" URI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2025/12/section/31">s. 31</ukm:Section></ukm:AffectedProvisions><ukm:AffectingTitle>The Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Act 2025 (Commencement No. 2 and Saving Provisions) Regulations 2026</ukm:AffectingTitle><ukm:AffectingProvisions><ukm:Section Ref="regulation-2" URI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ssi/2026/120/regulation/2">reg. 2</ukm:Section> <ukm:Section Ref="schedule" URI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ssi/2026/120/schedule">sch.</ukm:Section></ukm:AffectingProvisions><ukm:InForceDates><ukm:InForce Applied="false" Date="2026-10-01" Qualification="wholly in force"/></ukm:InForceDates></ukm:UnappliedEffect></ukm:UnappliedEffects></ukm:PrimaryMetadata>
					

                    
									<ukm:Notes><ukm:Note IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2025/12/section/31/notes" DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/section/31/notes"/><ukm:Alternatives><ukm:Alternative URI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/pdfs/aspen_20250012_en.pdf" Date="2026-05-19" Title="Explanatory Notes" Size="1336071"/></ukm:Alternatives>       
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				</ukm:Metadata><Primary><Body DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/body/enacted" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2025/12/body" NumberOfProvisions="148"><Part DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/part/2/enacted" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2025/12/part/2" NumberOfProvisions="7" id="part-2"><Number>Part 2</Number><Title>Trauma-informed practice</Title><Pblock DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/part/2/crossheading/duty-to-have-regard-to-principle-of-traumainformed-practice/enacted" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2025/12/part/2/crossheading/duty-to-have-regard-to-principle-of-traumainformed-practice" NumberOfProvisions="3" id="part-2-crossheading-duty-to-have-regard-to-principle-of-traumainformed-practice"><Title>Duty to have regard to principle of trauma-informed practice</Title><P1group><Title>Scheduling of business in sheriff courts and the Sheriff Appeal Court</Title><P1 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/section/31/enacted" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2025/12/section/31" id="section-31">
<Pnumber>31</Pnumber>
<P1para>
<P2 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/section/31/1/enacted" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2025/12/section/31/1" id="section-31-1">
<Pnumber>1</Pnumber>
<P2para>
<Text>The Courts Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 is amended as follows.</Text>
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<P2 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/section/31/2/enacted" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2025/12/section/31/2" id="section-31-2">
<Pnumber>2</Pnumber>
<P2para>
<Text>In section 27 (sheriff principal’s responsibility for efficient disposal of business in sheriff courts), after subsection (3) insert—</Text>
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<P2>
<Pnumber>3A</Pnumber>
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<Text>In carrying out the responsibility imposed by subsection (1), the sheriff principal must have regard to the desirability of doing so in a way that accords with trauma-informed practice.</Text>
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</P2>
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<AppendText>.</AppendText>
</P2para>
</P2>
<P2 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/section/31/3/enacted" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2025/12/section/31/3" id="section-31-3">
<Pnumber>3</Pnumber>
<P2para>
<Text>In section 29 (Lord President’s power to exercise functions under sections 27 and 28), in subsection (1), after paragraph (a) insert—</Text>
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<P3>
<Pnumber>aa</Pnumber>
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<Text>is prejudicial to the carrying out of the responsibility imposed by section 27(1) in a way that accords with trauma-informed practice,</Text>
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<AppendText>.</AppendText>
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<P2 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/section/31/4/enacted" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2025/12/section/31/4" id="section-31-4">
<Pnumber>4</Pnumber>
<P2para>
<Text>In section 56 (President’s responsibility for efficient disposal of business), after subsection (3) insert—</Text>
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<Pnumber>3A</Pnumber>
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<Text>In carrying out the responsibility imposed by subsection (1), the President must have regard to the desirability of doing so in a way that accords with trauma-informed practice.</Text>
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<AppendText>.</AppendText>
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