This Act of Adjournal amends Chapter 22 (evidence of vulnerable witnesses) of the Criminal Procedure Rules 1996. This is done as a consequence of the extension to the justice of the peace court of special measures by the Justice of the Peace Courts (Special Measures) (Scotland) Order 2015 (S.S.I. 2015/xxx).

Paragraph 2 amends Chapter 22 so that references to courts, the judiciary and clerks include the justice of the peace court, justices of the peace and their clerks.

Paragraph 3 provides that these amendments do not apply to criminal proceedings which are commenced before this Act of Adjournal comes into force on 23rd December 2015. For the purposes of paragraph 3, criminal proceedings are taken to be commenced on the day on which a report of the case has been received by the procurator fiscal.