These rules are set out in the SCJC’s twelfth annual report, published today, which also details the Council’s accounts and its achievements over the year.

Writing his foreword as Chair, the Lord President, the Rt. Hon. Lord Pentland, charted the Council’s progress in progressing a range of rules requests in light of new legislation and policy initiatives, with new rules and amendments to existing rules implemented over a broad spectrum of subjects. 

The seven sets of draft rules given legal effect during 2024/25 were:

• The Act of Sederunt (Rules of the Court of Session 1994 and Sheriff Appeal Court Rules 2021 Amendment) (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024) 2024 (SSI 2024/195) came into force on 16 July 2024.  Incorporating the UN treaty within domestic law enables those treaty rights to become legally enforceable in Scotland.  This instrument amends the rules to provide for any compatibility questions that arise under that Act to be handled in the same manner as devolution issues.
• The Act of Sederunt (Rules of the Court of Session 1994 Amendment) (Protective Expenses Orders) 2024 (SSI 2024/196) came into force on 1 October 2024. The 3 amendments made will further support environmental actions being raised in the public interest, and address some of the Aarhus concerns for Scotland.
• The Act of Sederunt (Proceedings for Determination of Compatibility Questions Rules) 2024 (SSI 2024/.197) came into force on 16 July 2024.  If a UNCRC compatibility question was to arise during proceedings then these rules set out the procedure to be applied by the court when responding.
• The Act of Sederunt (Rules of the Court of Session 1994, Sheriff Appeal Court Rules 2021 and Ordinary Cause Rules 1993 Amendment) (Taxation of Judicial Expenses) 2024 (SSI 2024/323) came into force on 1 January 2025. This instrument resets the time limit for a paying party to lodge an objection in a diet of taxation to 1600 hours on the fifteenth day prior to a diet of taxation. That in turn provides 14 calendar days for the entitled party to consider their response to each of the objections made, which is a more practical timeframe for practitioners to evaluate the objections made, provide advice to their clients, take instructions, and prepare for attendance at the diet of taxation.
• The Act of Sederunt (Rules of the Court of Session 1994, Sheriff Appeal Court Rules 2021 and Sheriff Court Rules Amendment) (Statutory Interveners) 2024 (SSI 2024/353) came into force on 1 January 2025. It creates a generic procedure for use by those existing public authorities that hold a specific statutory power to intervene in civil court proceedings as of right. Previously a separate chapter of rules was provided for each public authority. Those multiple chapters have been withdrawn and replaced by this one generic procedure.  That future proofs the rules to cover any additional public authority that may be granted such statutory powers in future.
• The Act of Sederunt (Rules of the Court of Session 1994 Amendment) (Nautical Assessors) 2025 (SSI 2025/61) came into force on 11 April 2025. It removed the requirement for a list of nautical assessors to be kept and also removed the bar on leading a skilled witness on nautical matters where a nautical assessor would otherwise have been assisting the court.
• The Act of Sederunt (Rules of the Court of Session 1994 and Ordinary Cause Rules 1993 Amendment) (Miscellaneous) 2025 (SSI 2025/80) came into force on 30 April 2025.  It updates the rules to reflect changes made to the Hague Convention of 2nd July 2019, which covers the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments. It also removes the redundant need for a party to lodge a currency conversion certificate from the Bank of England when seeking decree for payment in a foreign currency.

View the full report here.