Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020

The Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020 is an Act of the Scottish Parliament to make provisions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Act complements and regulates the use of emergency powers given to Scottish Ministers under the UK Parliament's Coronavirus Act 2020. The Act makes many provisions to ease regulations in sectors that may struggle to meet their statutory requirements, such as the NHS, Social Security Scotland and the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service.[1]

Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020
Act of the Scottish Parliament
Long titleAn Act of the Scottish Parliament to make provision in connection with coronavirus; and for connected purposes.
Citation2020 asp 7
Introduced byMichael Russell MSP
Territorial extentScotland
Dates
Royal assent6 April 2020
Other legislation
Relates toCoronavirus Act 2020
Status: Current legislation
Text of statute as originally enacted

Provisions

The Act makes a variety of provisions to ensure continuity throughout Scotland during the Coronavirus pandemic. This covers a broad variety of issues within Scotland where it would be impossible for statutory requirements to be met or where regulations have become unworkable, notably in terms of:[2]

  • Housing provision and evictions
  • Social Security Scotland assessments
  • Judicial operations
  • Healthcare regulations
  • Death certification
  • Miscellaneous provisions

Time limit and renewal

Part 1 of the Act expires on 30 September 2020, however Scottish Ministers can extent the act twice on a six-monthly basis. This can only be achieved through affirmation of the Scottish Parliament.

Debate

The Act was developed by the Scottish Government on a cross-party basis to ensure maximum support. Concerns were raised at the prospect of removing the requirement of juries within judicial trials. This was accepted by the government and removed from the bill before passage. The Bill was passed unanimously.[3]

Legislative history

The bill was introduced to Parliament on 31 March 2020 as an Emergency Bill, with all three legislative stages completed the following day. The Bill was given Royal Assent and made law on 6 April 2020.[4]

See also

References
  1. News, Scottish Legal. "Evictions ban outlined as emergency legislation moves forward". Scottish Legal News. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  2. "MSPs agree emergency coronavirus powers". BBC News. 2020-04-01. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  3. "Coronavirus Bill passed at Holyrood". www.theedinburghreporter.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  4. Association, Press (2020-04-06). "Emergency coronavirus Bill given royal assent in just five days". Evening Express. Retrieved 2020-04-08.


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