Scotland’s dedicated sexual offences court has no timeline or funding

Malcolm Graham, chief executive of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS), told Holyrood’s Public Audit Committee there were “too many variables for me to try and put a date on it now”, adding that “it’s not something that’s entirely within my control”.

Catriona Dalrymple, the Scottish government’s director for justice, said funding was expected to feature in the 2027-28 budget, due to be announced by the finance secretary in early December.

She said the court’s operating model needed to be developed before funding requirements and implementation stages could be determined.

Mr Graham said preparatory work undertaken before the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Act 2025 was passed had become “historical”, with the volume and nature of cases changing significantly, including a doubling of sexual offence cases at the High Court.

He said the court needed to improve the experience of vulnerable victims and witnesses, warning that simply transferring cases between courts without improving processes would undermine the legislation’s purpose.

Justice Secretary Neil Gray said in September that establishing the court would be “difficult to deliver” but “necessary”, adding that work would not begin until next year.