Bills considered by the Committee
The Committee considered 14 Bills during Session 5, as set out in Table 1 below. 11 of these were Scottish Government Bills, with the other three being Members’ Bills
Table 1: Bills considered in this parliamentary sessionBillMain purposeDate passed by the ParliamentLimitation (Childhood Abuse) (Scotland) BillTo remove the limitation period, also known as ‘time bar’, for civil claims relating to childhood abuse22 June 2017Railway Policing (Scotland) BillTo provide the legal framework for devolved railway policing in Scotland27 June 2017Domestic Abuse (Scotland) BillTo create a new offence of engaging in an abusive course of conduct against a current partner or an ex-partner1 February 2018Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Repeal) (Scotland) Bill (Member’s Bill introduced by James Kelly MSP)To repeal the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 201215 March 2018Civil Litigation (Expenses and Group Proceedings) (Scotland) BillTo increase access to justice in civil cases by making the costs of court action more predictable and increasing the available funding options1 May 2018Vulnerable Witnesses (Criminal Evidence) (Scotland) BillTo improve how children and vulnerable witnesses participate in the criminal justice system by enabling the greater use of pre-recorded evidence9 May 2019Management of Offenders (Scotland) BillTo expand the use of electronic monitoring for offenders, reform rules on the disclosure of previous convictions, and make changes to how the Parole Board for Scotland operates25 June 2019Scottish Biometrics Commissioner BillTo set up the post of a Scottish Biometrics Commissioner10 March 2020Children (Scotland) BillTo reform the law which applies to resolve disputes between parents about their children (e.g. who they should live with)25 August 2020Defamation and Malicious Publication (Scotland) BillTo modernise and simplify the law of defamation (and the related action of malicious publication)2 March 2020Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) BillTo modernise, consolidate and extend hate crime legislation in Scotland11 March 2020Culpable Homicide (Scotland) Bill(Member’s Bill introduced by Claire Baker MSP)To create two new statutory offences where death is caused recklessly or by gross negligenceThe Bill did not pass Stage 1 in the Parliament (21 January 2020)Post-mortem Examinations (Defence Time Limit) (Scotland) Bill (Member’s Bill introduced by Gil Paterson MSP)To introduce a time limit on the period in which the defence can instruct its own post-mortem examination where someone has been charged with an offence in connection with causing or contribution to a deathThe Bill did not pass Stage 1 in the Parliament (26...