Lady Paton

The programme will form the basis for most of the commission’s work for the five year period from 2023 to 2027.

As well as including four new areas of work, on executry law, the law of limitation, the rules on execution of documents, and the consolidation of nature conservation legislation, the Eleventh Programme incorporates ongoing work from the commission’s previous programme.

This comprises projects on heritable securities, aspects of leases, homicide, aspects of family law and damages for personal injury. In addition, during the Tenth Programme we received a reference on tenement law, relating to the establishment of compulsory owners’ associations; that work, which has already begun, will be carried forward.

Lady Paton, the commission’s chair, said: “I am very pleased to introduce the Scottish Law Commission’s Eleventh Programme of Law Reform. It contains projects on a broad range of areas of civil and criminal law which touch the lives of many people in Scotland.

“Some of our existing work will continue into the new programme, and this includes projects on homicide, aspects of family law, compulsory owners’ associations in tenements, damages for personal injury, heritable securities, and aspects of leases.

“In addition, we propose to embark on new projects on the law of limitation, on executries, on the execution of documents, as well as a consolidation of nature conservation legislation. I believe that the programme is well-balanced and will be beneficial both to individuals and businesses and to Scottish society in general.”