News

Andy Knox The Home Office is facing criticism for its refusal to recognise Scottish-based English language tests for people seeking British citizenship.

Professor Alan Miller The European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI), which the Scottish Human Rights Commission chairs, has spoken of the need to focus on greater implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

A single mother-of-five has successfully challenged a council’s decision that it had discharged its duty to house her homeless family by offering accommodation in another local authority area more than 50 miles away. The UK Supreme Court ruled that the council had acted unlawfully and quashed the

In a Court of Session judgement issued on Thursday,Morton Fraser was successful in securing substantial damages for its client injured when her artery was punctured during a routine procedure at Falkirk & District Royal Infirmary in 2009. Morton Fraser represented Annabelle Bell of Falkirk, in a

Thousands of alleged criminal offences have not been acted on because police have been too late in handing their reports to prosecutors. Nearly 4,000 charges were reported to the Crown Office and Procurators Fiscal Service (COPFS) over the past six years that were outwith the six to 12-month statuto

The lord advocate has rebutted academics' claims of a “shameful lack of clarity” over the law on assisted suicide. Responding to a letter published in the Herald, Frank Mulholland QC (pictured) said those who help people to die would, as the law stands, be prosecuted under homicide laws.

Antisocial drunks could be handed “alcohol ASBOs” barring them from pubs and clubs under new alcohol legislation proposed at Holyrood. The largest members’ bill ever seen in the Scottish parliament provides for “drinking banning orders” (DBO) which would run for up to two years and which l

The Faculty of Advocates has backed calls for a specialist tribunal or court in Scotland which would provide an effective forum for deciding environmental cases. Friends of the Earth Scotland (FoES) is campaigning for change, and the Faculty said it supported a dedicated tribunal or court which coul

A family who fought with their neighbours for more than three decades over a high hedge have been defeated. Audrey Alexander's fight against her neighbour over the hedge started 23 years ago but the seeds were sown 35 years ago when her aunt, the former owner, planted a vegetable garden which died i

NHS advisers are calling for the legal drinking age to be increased from 18 to 21 in Scotland in an attempt to crack down on binge drinking and save money. The move would apply to clubs, pubs, supermarkets and off-licenses.

Pictured, from left: Colin Moffat, Kirsty O’Donnell, David Nellaney and Simon Hammond

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) has announced that Susan Kemp and Dr Alan Mitchell have been appointed members of the Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC) Ms Kemp and Dr Mitchell will take up office as part-time members of the SHRC on 1 May 2015.

Scotland's most senior police officer has said he is unlikely to remain in his post when his contract ends next year. Sir Stephen House (pictured) was made chief constable of Police Scotland in 2013 when the single force was formed.

Guillaume Katumaini and Simon Boedermaker from the University of Aberdeen fought off fierce competition from rivals Holly Dyce and Liam Alexander ofRobert Gordon University at the Granite City Moot. The annual Granite City Moot has been sponsored by Brodies LLP for the past four years, and involves

An Edinburgh organisation is the first to benefit from additional funding to tackle all forms of violence against women and girls in Scotland, first minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed today. The Edinburgh Domestic Abuse Court Service (EDACS) will receive £147,000 additional funding over the next ye