Source: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2001/7/enacted/data.xht?view=snippet&wrap=true
Timestamp: 2018-08-16 16:39:19
Document Index: 474740507

Matched Legal Cases: ['ART 1', 'ART 2', 'ART 3', 'ART 5', 'ART 2', 'art 1', 'ART 3', 'art 1', 'ART 4', 'art 3', 'art 1', 'art.\n68', 'art 3', 'ART 5', 'art 4', 'art.\n78', 'ART 6']

Convention Rights (Compliance) (Scotland) Act 2001 (asp 7) xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
The Bill for this Act of the Scottish Parliament was passed by the Parliament on 30th May 2001 and received Royal Assent on 5th July 2001
An Act of the Scottish Parliament to amend certain enactments relating to the sentencing and release of life prisoners, the constitution and powers of the Parole Board, legal advice and assistance and legal aid, homosexual offences and the appointment and removal of the procurator fiscal of the Lyon Court which are or may be incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights; and to enable further changes in the law where it is or may be incompatible with the Convention.
PART 1PRISONERS AND PAROLE
1Release of life prisoners
(1)The Prisoners and Criminal Proceedings (Scotland) Act 1993 (c. 9) (in this Act, “the 1993 Act”) is amended as follows.
2Amendment of Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995
(1)In section 205 (punishment for murder) of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 (c. 46) (in this Act, “the 1995 Act”)—
(a)in subsection (1), after “subsections (2) and (3)” there is inserted “and section 205D”; and
“205DOnly one sentence of imprisonment for life to be imposed in any proceedings
3Amendment of provisions relating to transferred life prisoners
(i)section 28(1)(a) (duty to release certain life prisoners) of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 (c. 43) (in this section, “the 1997 Act”) applies and in respect of whom the court has made an order under section 28(2)(b) of that Act; or
(ii)section 82A (determination of tariffs) of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 (c. 6) (in this section, “the 2000 Act”) applies and in respect of whom the court has made an order under section 82A(2) of that Act;
(b)transferred from the Isle of Man and to whom paragraph 4(1) (discretionary life detainees) of Schedule 2 to the Custody Act 1995 (c. 1) applies (that Act being an Act of the Tynwald of the Isle of Man to re-enact with amendments certain enactments relating to the custody of offenders and others; to make fresh provision for such custody; and for connected purposes: in this section “the Isle of Man Custody Act”); or
(a)a provision made by Order in Council under section 85 (provisions dealing with certain reserved matters) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 (c. 47), where that provision is to the effect that a court in Northern Ireland sentencing a person to imprisonment for life may make an order that early release provisions shall apply to the person as soon as he has served the part of his sentence specified in the order; or
(i)section 48 of or paragraph 9 of Schedule 12 to the Criminal Justice Act 1991 (c. 53); or
(iii)in paragraph (b), for “designated” there is substituted “punishment” and for the word “certificate” there is substituted “order under subsection (2J) above”;
(i)in sub-paragraph (i), after “1997” there is inserted “, other than an order for a restricted transfer within the meaning of paragraph 6(1) of that Schedule to that Act,”; and
“(ia)a decision of the Secretary of State under section 80 (removal of patients to Scotland) of the Mental Health Act 1983 (c. 20) authorising the prisoner’s removal to Scotland from England and Wales; or
(ib)a decision of the responsible authority under section 81 (removal to Scotland of patients from Northern Ireland) of the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984 (c. 36) authorising the prisoner’s removal to Scotland from Northern Ireland; or”; and
(A)for “28” there is substituted “28(2)”;
(B)after “1997” there is inserted “section 82A(2) of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 (c. 6), paragraph 4(1) of Schedule 2 to the Isle of Man Custody Act or under a provision such as is mentioned in subsection (1A) above relating to Northern Ireland”; and
(C)for “certificate under subsection (2)” there is substituted “order under subsection (2J)” and for “relevant” there is substituted “punishment”.
“10ATransfer of supervision of life prisoners
(1)This section applies to a life prisoner released on licence in respect of whom, whether before or after the coming into force of section 3 of the Convention Rights (Compliance) (Scotland) Act 2001 (asp 7), an order was made under paragraph 4 of Schedule 1 to the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 (c. 43) transferring responsibility for his supervision to the Scottish Ministers and ordering that the supervision or, as the case may be, the remainder of it be undergone in Scotland, that order being an unrestricted transfer within the meaning of paragraph 6(1) of that Schedule.
(a)a provision made by Order in Council under section 85 (provisions dealing with certain reserved matters) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 (c. 47) governing the release of life prisoners on compassionate grounds; or
PART 2CONSTITUTION OF PAROLE BOARD FOR SCOTLAND
5Appointment and removal of Parole Board members
“(ba)enabling the Board to require any person, other than a prisoner whose case the Board is considering, to attend a hearing before it to give evidence or to produce documents;” ;and
“(4A)In making provision such as is mentioned in subsection (4)(ba) above, the Scottish Ministers may apply subsections (4) and (5) of section 210 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (c. 65) with such modifications as may be set out in the rules but subject to the limitation that any penalty under subsection (5) of section 210 as so applied shall be restricted to a fine which shall not exceed level 2 on the standard scale.”.
“Limitation, termination etc. of appointment of members
“Removal of members from office
PART 3LEGAL AID
6Extension of advice and assistance and civil legal aid under Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1986
(1)In section 6(2) (definitions for purposes of Part II — advice and assistance) of the Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1986 (c. 47) (the “1986 Act”) after the definition of “tribunal” there is added—
“and references to a court, tribunal or statutory inquiry include references to any court, tribunal or statutory inquiry which is established by law for purposes which are or include those of determining persons' civil rights and obligations and to any person who or group of persons or body or procedure which (however described) is appointed or established by law for such purposes.”.
“(6)In subsection (4) above, the reference to a court or tribunal includes a reference to a court or tribunal which is established by law for purposes which are or include those of determining persons' civil rights and obligations and to any person who or group of persons, body, statutory inquiry or other procedure which (however described) is appointed or established by law for such purposes.”.
(4)In section 16 (which includes provision that, in sections 17 to 20, “court” includes tribunal) of the 1986 Act, in subsection (2), at the end of the definition of “court”, there is added “and references to either shall be construed in accordance with section 13(6) of this Act”.
8Criminal legal assistance: retrospective revision of fixed payments regulations
9Employment of solicitors by Scottish Legal Aid Board: further provisions
(a)in subsection (1), after “(2)” there is inserted “, (2A)”;
“(2A)A client to whom paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (2) above apply and to whom criminal legal assistance or advice or assistance which is not criminal legal assistance has been provided by a solicitor employed by the Board under sections 26 and 27 of this Act shall pay to the Board such contribution in that respect as the Board may, subject to subsection (3A) below, determine.”; and
(3)In section 12 of the 1986 Act, in subsection (2) (which provides that the rules in that section about the payment of solicitor’s fees etc. do not apply to the salary of a solicitor employed by the Board under section 28A), after “Board” there is inserted “under sections 26 and 27 of this Act or to the salary payable to a solicitor employed by the Board”.
(5)In section 25B of the 1986 Act, in subsection (2) (which enables provision in the criminal legal assistance code of practice which is different for solicitors employed by the Board under section 28A from that for solicitors generally), after “including” there is inserted “in relation to solicitors employed by the Board under sections 26 and 27 of this Act to provide criminal legal assistance, different provision to reflect the fact that they are so employed and including”.
(6)In section 26 of the 1986 Act, in subsection (1), in paragraph (a) (which provides that the purposes for which solicitors may be employed by the Board include those of giving advice and assistance to which Part II of the Act applies), there is added at the end “either generally or in cases of any such description as may be prescribed by regulations made under this section”.
(i)in paragraph (c), for “but does not apply” there is substituted “or”; and
(ii)in paragraph (e), after “including” there is inserted “, where it second occurs,”; and
PART 5PROCURATOR FISCAL OF THE LYON COURT
11Appointment of procurator fiscal of the Lyon Court
(1)The Lyon King of Arms Act 1867 (c. 17) is amended as follows.
(b)for “and procurator fiscal aforesaid have” there is substituted “has”.
“9AAppointment of procurator fiscal of the Lyon Court
(introduced by sections 4 and 5)
PART 2EXISTING DESIGNATED LIFE PRISONERS
27This Part of this schedule applies to a life prisoner (an “existing designated life prisoner”)—
(a)who was sentenced before the relevant date; and
(b)in respect of whom the court made an order under section 2(2) of the 1993 Act that subsections (4) to (6) of that section apply to the prisoner as soon as the prisoner has served the part of the sentence (“the designated part”) specified in the order.
28In this Part of this schedule—
“life prisoner” and “punishment part” have respectively the same meanings as they have in Part 1 of this schedule;
PART 3EXISTING LIFE PRISONERS RECOMMENDED FOR RELEASE
31This Part of this schedule applies to an existing life prisoner—
(a)in respect of whom, before the relevant date, the Parole Board has recommended a provisional release date on which the prisoner should be released on licence under the 1989 Act or the 1993 Act;
(b)whose case has not been the subject of a hearing under paragraph 12 above; and
(c)to whose release neither the Lord Justice General, whom failing the Lord Justice Clerk, nor, if available, the trial judge objects.
32In this Part of this schedule—
“existing life prisoner” means a person who is an existing life prisoner for the purposes of Part 1 of this schedule by virtue only of paragraph 1(a) above;
33If the Scottish Ministers have fixed a provisional release date in respect of the prisoner, the prisoner shall on that date be released on licence as if the prisoner had been a life prisoner to whom section 2(4) of the 1993 Act applied and had served the punishment part of his or her sentence.
35Such a review as is referred to in paragraph 34 above is, for the purposes of section 20 of the 1993 Act, within the functions of the Parole Board.
36The Parole Board shall carry out such a review as is referred to in paragraph 34 above or 38 below as soon as is reasonably practicable after the question there mentioned is referred to the Board by the Scottish Ministers.
37On such a review, the Parole Board shall either—
(a)direct that the provisional release date fixed for the prisoner be adhered to and that he or she be released then in accordance with paragraph 33 above or, if the direction is made on or after that provisional release date, that the prisoner be released as soon as reasonably practicable after the direction is made in accordance with paragraph 39 below; or
(b)direct that the provisional release date so fixed no longer applies.
38Notwithstanding that the Parole Board has made a direction under paragraph 37(a) above, the Scottish Ministers, if they are of the view that, having regard to the need to protect the public, at any time between the time of that direction and the provisional release date, the prisoner’s conduct has been such that or that there has been a material change of circumstances such that the Parole Board should review that direction, may refer the question of such release to the Parole Board in the light of that conduct or that change of circumstances; and paragraphs 35 to 37 above and paragraphs 39 and 40 below shall apply to such a referral as they apply to a referral under paragraph 34.
39Where the Parole Board has made a direction under paragraph 37(a) above in respect of a prisoner on or after the provisional release date fixed in respect of that prisoner, the Scottish Ministers shall release the prisoner on licence as soon as reasonably practicable after that direction is made; and paragraph 33 above shall apply to the prisoner as if the prisoner had been released on the provisional release date.
40Notwithstanding that the Parole Board has made a direction under paragraph 37(b) above, the punishment part of the prisoner’s sentence shall be regarded as having been served as at the end of the day immediately before the provisional release date and section 2 of the 1993 Act as amended by this Act shall apply to the prisoner as if an order such as mentioned in subsection (2) of that section had been made in respect of the prisoner when sentenced.
41If the Scottish Ministers have not fixed a provisional release date in respect of the prisoner, then, subject to paragraphs 34 to 40 above, the prisoner shall be released on the provisional release date recommended by the Parole Board as if released on licence under section 2(4) of the 1993 Act as a life prisoner to whom that section applied and who had served the punishment part of his or her sentence.
42If, however, the Scottish Ministers, having regard to the need to protect the public, are of the view that the Parole Board should consider afresh whether the prisoner should be released, they may refer to the Board the question of such release in the light of that need.
43No such reference shall be made after the expiry of two weeks beginning with the relevant date.
44The consideration and disposal of such a reference is, for the purposes of section 20 of the 1993 Act, within the functions of the Parole Board.
46On such a reference, the Parole Board shall either—
(a)direct that the recommended provisional release date be adhered to and that the prisoner be released then or, if the direction is made on or after that recommended provisional release date, that the prisoner be released as soon as reasonably practicable after the direction is made in accordance with paragraph 48 below; or
(b)direct that the recommended provisional release date no longer applies.
47Notwithstanding that the Parole Board has made a direction under paragraph 46(b) above, the punishment part of the prisoner’s sentence shall be regarded as having been served as at the end of the day immediately before the recommended provisional release date and section 2 of the 1993 Act as amended by this Act shall apply to the prisoner as if an order such as is mentioned in subsection (2) of that section had been made in respect of the prisoner when sentenced.
48Where the Parole Board has made a direction under paragraph 46(a) above in respect of a prisoner on or after the recommended provisional release date, the Scottish Ministers shall release the prisoner on licence as soon as reasonably practicable after that direction is made; and paragraph 41 above shall apply to the prisoner as if the prisoner had been released on the provisional release date.
PART 4TRANSFERRED LIFE PRISONERS
49This Part of this schedule applies to—
(a)a life prisoner to whom subsection (1) of section 10 of the 1993 Act applied and in respect of whom the Secretary of State has issued a certificate under section 28(4) of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 (c. 43);
(b)a life prisoner to whom subsection (2), but not subsections (1) or (3), of section 10 of the 1993 Act applied; or
(c)a life prisoner to whom subsections (2) and (3) of that section applied, including one to whom those subsections applied by virtue of paragraph 7 of Schedule 6 to that Act,
and who was transferred to Scotland before the relevant date; and the references in this paragraph to section 10 of the 1993 Act are references to that section as it had effect at the time the prisoner was so transferred.
50In this Part of this schedule—
“existing transferred life prisoner” means a life prisoner to whom this Part of this schedule applies by virtue of paragraph 49 above;
51The Scottish Ministers shall, as soon as reasonably practicable after the relevant date, refer the case of an existing transferred life prisoner to the High Court of Justiciary for a hearing under paragraph 59 below.
54An existing transferred life prisoner to whom Part 3 of this schedule or paragraph 49(c) above applies may waive the entitlement to a hearing under paragraph 59 below provided—
56The Scottish Ministers shall, no later than two weeks after the referral of an existing transferred life prisoner’s case under paragraph 51 or 55 above, send the documents and other information mentioned in paragraph 57 below to—
(c)the existing transferred life prisoner.
57The documents and other information referred to in paragraph 56 above are—
(ii)section 48 of or paragraph 9 of Schedule 12 to the Criminal Justice Act 1991 (c. 53); or
(iii)section 28(4) or 33 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 (c. 43);
59There shall be a hearing, at which the High Court of Justiciary shall make the order referred to in paragraph 60 below.
60That order is an order specifying a part of the sentence which the court considers would have been specified as the punishment part under subsection (2) of section 2 of the 1993 Act, if—
(b)that section, as amended by this Act, had been in force at the time when the prisoner was sentenced.
61It shall not be a ground of appeal in relation to the part of the sentence specified in the order made under paragraph 59 above that the court had regard to—
(a)any certificate referred to in paragraph 57(c) above;
62The court shall pronounce the order under paragraph 59 above in open court.
63If the court is satisfied that the existing transferred life prisoner is incapable of properly instructing a solicitor in relation to the hearing under paragraph 59 above, whether or not the prisoner has so instructed a solicitor, it shall not make the order under that paragraph.
64If the Scottish Ministers are satisfied that the prisoner is no longer incapable of instructing a solicitor in relation to the hearing under paragraph 59 above, they shall, as soon as reasonably practicable thereafter, refer the case of the prisoner to the court for such a hearing.
65Nothing in this Part of this schedule shall be taken as preventing a prisoner, in respect of whom the court declined, under paragraph 63 above, to make the order under paragraph 59 above, from again referring his or her case for a hearing under paragraph 59 above.
66Where the court has made an order under paragraph 59 above—
(a)Part 1 of the 1993 Act, except section 2(9), as amended by this Act shall apply to the existing transferred life prisoner as if—
(i)the existing transferred life prisoner were a life prisoner within the meaning of section 2 of that Act; and
(ii)the punishment part of that prisoner’s sentence within the meaning of that section were the part specified in the order under paragraph 59 above; and
(b)any certificate such as is referred to in sub-paragraph (c) of paragraph 57 above shall have no further effect.
67Where, however, the existing transferred life prisoner has waived, under paragraph 54 above, the entitlement to a hearing under paragraph 59 above, section 10(3) of the 1993 Act shall apply to the prisoner as if the prisoner were a life prisoner and as if the part of the prisoner’s sentence specified in the certificate mentioned in sub-paragraph (c) of paragraph 57 above were the punishment part.
68A hearing under paragraph 59 above shall be criminal procedure for the purposes of section 305 of the 1995 Act (power of High Court of Justiciary to regulate criminal procedure by Act of Adjournal).
69The court, in considering the case of an existing transferred life prisoner—
(b)two or more of whose life sentences were imposed in proceedings on a single indictment or corresponding document,
shall, in making the order under paragraph 59 above, proceed as if the prisoner had been sentenced in Scotland and section 205D of the 1995 Act had been in force at the time the prisoner was sentenced.
71The references in sub-paragraphs (a) and (b) of paragraph 70 above to sections 2 and 17 of the 1993 Act are references to those sections as they had effect immediately before the relevant date.
72An existing transferred life prisoner to whom paragraph 49(b) above applies and who, before the relevant date, has been or is released on licence (otherwise than under section 3 of the 1993 Act (release on compassionate grounds)) shall, at the relevant date, be deemed to have been released on licence under section 2(4) of the 1993 Act as if that prisoner had been a life prisoner to whom that section applied and who had served the punishment part of his or her sentence.
73Where such an existing transferred life prisoner released on licence is treated by virtue of paragraph 72 above as a prisoner whose licence was granted under section 2(4) of the 1993 Act, the validity of his or her licence shall not be affected by the absence in the licence of such a condition as is specified in section 12(2) of that Act.
74Part 3 of this schedule applies to an existing transferred life prisoner to whom paragraph 49(b) above applies as it applies to an existing life prisoner of the kind mentioned in paragraph 31 above with the substitution in paragraph 31(b) above of a reference to a hearing under paragraph 59 above for the reference to a hearing under paragraph 12 above.
PART 5LIFE PRISONERS TRANSFERRED UNDER THE MENTAL HEALTH ACTS
75This Part of this schedule applies to a life prisoner—
(a)to whom—
(i)section 80 (removal to Scotland of patients from England and Wales) of the Mental Health Act 1983 (c. 20) applies; or
(ii)to whom section 81 (removal to Scotland of patients from Northern Ireland) of the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984 (c. 36) applies; and
(b)who was transferred to Scotland before the relevant date.
76In this Part of this schedule—
77Paragraphs 51 to 74 of Part 4 of this schedule apply to a life prisoner to whom this Part applies, except a prisoner such as is mentioned in paragraph 78 below, as if section 10 of the 1993 Act had applied to the prisoner when the prisoner was transferred and as if the prisoner were an existing transferred life prisoner within the meaning of that Part.
78Section 10(1) of the 1993 Act, as amended by this Act, applies to a life prisoner—
(a)to whom this Part of this schedule applies; and
(b)to whom, had the prisoner been transferred after the relevant date, section 10(1) would have applied.
PART 6EXISTING MEMBERS OF THE PAROLE BOARD
79Subject to paragraphs 80 to 83 below, the modifications made by section 5 of this Act have effect as respects existing members.
80Any period of appointment occurring prior to—
(a)an existing member’s most recent appointment or reappointment; and
(b)the coming into force of section 5 of this Act,
shall be disregarded for the purposes of paragraph 2E of Schedule 2 to the 1993 Act.
81Any existing member whose current appointment proceeded upon selection following public advertisement seeking applications for membership of the Board shall, for the purposes of Schedule 2 to the 1993 Act and notwithstanding the terms of the instrument of appointment of the member, be regarded, on the commencement of section 5 of this Act as serving a period of appointment of six years in accordance with that Schedule beginning with the date when that current appointment began.
82An existing member whose current appointment proceeded otherwise than as mentioned in paragraph 81 above shall, for the purposes of Schedule 2 to the 1993 Act, be regarded on the commencement of section 5 of this Act as serving whichever of the following expires later—
83In this Part of this schedule—
“existing member” means a person who is a member of the Parole Board when section 5 of this Act comes into force;