The Act
3.The Act makes provisions in respect of persons being questioned by the police on suspicion of having committed an offence. Various amendments to the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 (“the 1995 Act”) are made. The amendments and stand alone provisions within the Act affect the period of detention and the right of access to legal assistance before and during questioning. The Act also makes provision to provide a right to make representations in relation to applications for extension of time limits for making appeals, and creates a time limit for lodging bills of suspension and advocation. It also makes provision about the grounds for references made to the High Court by the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission and enables the High Court to reject references in certain circumstances.
