Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to create a Register of Pecuniary Interests of Judges Bill (as is currently being considered in New Zealand's Parliament) or amend present legislation to require all members of the Judiciary in Scotland to submit their interests & hospitality received to a publicly available Register of Interests.
Petitioner: Peter Cherbi
Status: Under consideration
Date published: 26 October 2012
Click here for the full petition
SPICe Briefing on Section 23(7) of the Scotland Act 1998
8 January 2013: The Public Petitions Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government, the Lord President, the Faculty of Advocates and the Law Society of Scotland.
Official Report of Meeting 8 January 2013
5 March 2013: The Committee agreed to invite the Lord President to give evidence at a future meeting and seek further information on the proposed New Zealand legislation.
Official Report of Meeting 5 March 2013
16 April 2013: The Public Petitions Committee agreed to write again to the Lord President and seek views from the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland and the Judicial Complaints Reviewer.
Official Report of Meeting 16 April 2013
25 June 2013: The Public Petitions Committee agreed to invite the Judicial Complaints Reviewer to give evidence at a future meeting. The Committee also agreed to write to Dr Kennedy Graham MP, New Zealand Parliament.
Official Report of Meeting 25 June 2013
17 September 2013: The Public Petitions Committee took evidence from Moi Ali, Judicial Complaints Reviewer. The Committee agreed to write to Dr Kennedy Graham MP, New Zealand Parliament, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, the Scottish Court Service and the Scottish Government. The Committee also agreed to consider the debate that took place during the passage of the Scotland Act 1998 on section 23.
Official Report of Meeting 17 September 2013
26 November 2013: The Public Petitions Committee agreed to defer future consideration of the petition until after the meeting between the Convener, Deputy Convener and the Lord President.
Official Report of Meeting 26 November 2013
28 January 2014: The Public Petitions Committee agreed to defer consideration of the petition pending receipt of a letter from the Lord President.
Official Report of Meeting 28 January 2014
4 March 2014: The Public Petitions Committee agreed to seek time in the Chamber for a debate on the petition. The Committee also agreed to write to the Lord President and the Scottish Government.
Official Report of Meeting 4 March 2014
6 May 2014: The Public Petitions Committee agreed to write to the Lord President and the Scottish Government.
Official Report of Meeting 6 May 2014
9 October 2014: The Public Petitions Committee held a debate in the Chamber on the subject of the petition.
Official Report of Meeting 9 October 2014
28 October 2014: The Public Petitions Committee agreed to write to the Lord President and the Judicial Complaints Reviewer. The Committee also agreed to invite the Cabinet Secretary for Justice to give evidence at a future meeting.
Official Report of Meeting 28 October 2014
9 December 2014: The Public Petitions Committee took evidence from Paul Wheelhouse, Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs, and Kay McCorquodale, Civil Law and Legal Systems Division, Scottish Government. The Committee agreed to consider the petition again in the new year to reflect on the evidence received today, the annual report of the previous Judicial Complaints Reviewer and the new rules and guidance to be published by the Lord President. The Committee also agreed to write to the new Judicial Complaints Reviewer.
Official Report of Meeting 9 December 2014
12 May 2015: The Public Petitions Committee agreed to invite the Judicial Complaints Reviewer to give evidence at a future meeting.
Official Report of Meeting 12 May 2015
23 June 2015: The Public Petitions Committee took evidence from Gillian Thompson OBE, Judicial Complaints Reviewer. The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government, Lord Gill and, when appointed, the new Lord President.
Official Report of Meeting 23 June 2015
10 November 2015: The Public Petitions Committee took evidence from Rt Hon Lord Gill, former Lord President of the Court of Session. The Committee agreed to reflect on the evidence heard at a future meeting.
Official Report of Meeting 10 November 2015
1 December 2015: The Public Petitions Committee agreed to write to the new Lord President once appointed.
Official Report of Meeting 1 December 2015
23 February 2016: The Committee agreed to include the petition in its legacy paper for consideration by the Session 5 Public Petitions Committee. In doing so, the Committee agreed to write to Professor Alan Paterson, University of Strathclyde.
Official Report of Meeting 23 February 2016
29 September 2016: The Public Petitions Committee agreed to invite the Lord President and Professor Alan Paterson to give oral evidence at a future meeting.
Official Report of Meeting 29 September 2016
22 December 2016: The Public Petitions Committee agreed to consider what further action to take on the petition once it has taken oral evidence from Professor Alan Paterson at its meeting on 19 January 2017.
Official Report of Meeting 22 December 2016
19 January 2017: The Public Petitions Committee agreed to write to the Lord President and the Judicial Complaints Reviewer.
Official Report of Meeting 19 January 2017
30 March 2017: The Public Petitions Committee agreed to invite the Lord President to provide oral evidence at a future meeting.
Official Report of Meeting 30 March 2017
29 June 2017: The Public Petitions Committee agreed to invite the petitioner to provide a written response to the Lord President’s evidence and to reflect on the evidence and the petitioner’s response at a future meeting.
Official Report of Meeting 29 June 2017
7 December 2017: The Public Petitions Committee agreed to consider a letter to the Lord President and the Cabinet Secretary for Justice in private at a future meeting.
Official Report of Meeting 7 December 2017
21 December 2017: The Public Petitions Committee agreed to consider a further draft letter at a future meeting.
Official Report of Meeting 21 December 2017
1 February 2018: The Public Petitions Committee agreed to consider the petition further at a future meeting.
22 March 2018: The Public Petitions Committee agreed to write to the Lord President and the Scottish Government setting out its view that a register of interests should be introduced and to refer the petition to the Justice Committee, under Rule 15.6.2 of Standing Orders, for its consideration.
Official Report of Meeting 22 March 2018
25 September 2018: The Justice Committee agreed to keep the petition open while seeking further information in relation to issues raised in the petition.
Official Report of Meeting 25 September 2018
5 February 2019: The Justice Committee agreed to keep the petition open while seeking further information in relation to issues raised in the petition.
Official Report of Meeting 5 February 2019
28 May 2019: The Justice Committee agreed to take evidence at a future meeting on issues raised by the petition.
Official Report of 28 May 2019
10 March 2020: The Justice Committee agreed to keep the petition open and to seek further oral evidence in due course, in round-table formal, from constitutional and academic witnesses. The Committee also agreed to seek further written briefings from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) in relation to other potential conflicts of interests relating to key stakeholders in the Scottish judicial system. The Committee will consider the scheduling of this work as part of its work programming up to spring 2021.
Official Report of Meeting 10 March 2020
2 March 2021: The Justice Committee agreed to write to the Public Petitions Committee.
Official Report of 2 March 2021
Read any written submissions received by the Justice Committee before May 2021 on our old site
26 January 2021: The Criminal Justice Committee agreed to keep the petition open and to write to the Scottish Government.
Official Report of Meeting 26 January 2021
26 January 2022: The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government and to keep the petition open.