Scottish animal welfare charity OneKind has called on the Scottish government to end the use of carbon dioxide to stun pigs before killing them in slaughterhouses. The calls come after the Animal Welfare Committee (AWC) recommended that UK governments prohibit carbon dioxide stunning as it inflicts
Search: Scottish syndicate purchased land 1901 for £5000
Property factors across Scotland are facing mounting accusations of overcharging, mismanagement and opacity, which suggests the possibility of systemic abuse of homeowners’ trust and money. Advice Direct Scotland said it has seen a steady rise in complaints, describing the trend as “a gr
Homicide numbers in Scotland have fallen to their lowest level since comparable records began in 1976, according to official figures. Cases recorded by Police Scotland fell to 45 homicides in 2024-25, down 12 on the previous year.
Scotland’s sentencing watchdog has been condemned as “a monument to inertia” after new figures revealed it has cost taxpayers £4.6 million in its first decade. The Scottish Sentencing Council, established in 2015, has seen staffing costs rise by 355 per cent and overall spend
The Scottish government has committed to issuing official guidance to protect farmed fish. The announcement was made in a letter from Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon MSP to the convener of the Rural Affairs and Islands committee.
The Scottish Law Commission has today published its report on updating the law on the mental element in homicide including a draft Homicide (Scotland) Bill. The report notes criticisms which have been made of the current common-law-based Scots law governing murder and culpable homicide; refers to ho
Ministers have been criticised by Scotland’s transparency watchdog for wrongly attempting to block a freedom of information (FOI) request on the lord advocate’s reference to the Supreme Court over an independence referendum. In a sharply worded ruling, David Hamilton, the information com
The latest UK House Price Index figures show that the average price of a property in Scotland rose to £192,000 in July 2025, marking a 3.3 per cent increase compared with the same month last year.
The Scottish government is consulting on proposals to modernise the law on compulsory purchase. The proposals would update laws dating back almost two centuries, making them "more useful for public bodies", while also being "fairer to property owners".
It’s just under one week until SLN's sister publication Scottish Construction Now welcomes the key industry players to Glasgow to discuss Scotland’s construction future.
The Scottish Human Rights Commission has raised "serious concerns" about the use of orders for lifelong restriction (OLRs) in Scotland. OLRs are indeterminate prison sentences imposed on people to protect the public from the risk of serious harm. They have no fixed release date and include lifelong
The Scottish Social Services Council recently appointed four new trainee solicitors. Fitness to practise manager Iain Martin said: “It’s always a pleasure to welcome new trainees to the organisation and I’m delighted that Michael, Kirstie, Ruth and Kacie are taking their firs
The Scottish Arbitration centre has launched Mediation Rules in advance of it providing an administered mediation service. The announcement was made during the Edinburgh International Arbitration Festival (ArbFest2025).
The Scottish government faces the prospect of a legal challenge if the proposed assisted suicide bill going through Holyrood is approved by MSPs. That is the opinion of a barrister who believes the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, promoted as a members’ bill by Lib Dem
The Scottish Human Rights Commission has exposed serious failings in the way complaints are handled in Scotland’s prisons. In a new report it finds that the current system is failing to meet human rights standards, leaving people in prison unable to challenge mistreatment, poor conditions or h
