Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020

Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020

Act of the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
Long title	An Act of the Scottish Parliament to make provision in connection with coronavirus; and for connected purposes.
Citation	2020 asp 7
Introduced by	Michael Russell MSP
Territorial extent	Scotland
Dates
Royal assent	6 April 2020
Commencement	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Current_events
Other legislation
Relates to	Coronavirus Act 2020
Status: Amended
Text of statute as originally enacted
Revised text of statute as amended

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]

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 extend the act twice on a six-monthly basis. This can only be achieved through affirmation of the Scottish Parliament.^{[ citation needed ][ needs update ]}

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

• Coronavirus Act 2020
• COVID-19 pandemic

References

1. "Evictions ban outlined as emergency legislation moves forward". Scottish Legal News. 30 March 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
2. "MSPs agree emergency coronavirus powers". BBC News. 1 April 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
3. "Coronavirus Bill passed at Holyrood". www.theedinburghreporter.co.uk. April 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
4. "Emergency coronavirus Bill given royal assent in just five days". Evening Express. Press Association. 6 April 2020. Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.