Police Appeals Tribunal transfer to Scottish Tribunals structure regulations: island communities impact assessment

Background

Tribunals (Scotland) Act 2014

The 2014 Act created a new, two-tier structure for devolved tribunals in Scotland; the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland and the Upper Tribunal for Scotland, known collectively as the Scottish Tribunals.

The rationale for the 2014 Act was to create a new structure for devolved tribunals in Scotland. Over the preceding years, tribunals were established on an ad-hoc fashion, with no common system of leadership, appointments, practice and procedure for reviews and appeals. This can lead to a narrowness of outlook, and it allows for a variation of standards and performances across the wider tribunals landscape.

The new two-tier structure provides for greater independence for the new tribunals and by establishing a more coherent framework for tribunals, opportunities are created for improvement in the quality of services that cannot be achieved by tribunals operating separately.

Schedule 1 of the 2014 Act contains a list of devolved tribunals from which the functions and members may be transferred into the new structure. The Police Appeals Tribunal is listed at schedule 1 on the 2014 Act.