Law to give Scots lead in arbitration

Published on Saturday 31 January 2009 13:02

PROPOSALS to cut down on the cost and time involved in resolving disputes have been submitted to the Scottish Parliament.

The Arbitration (Scotland) Bill could save millions of pounds and thousands of hours in court time and lead to Scotland becoming a world leader in settlements.

The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators says it could also build up a new specialism with an annual turnover of at least 15m.

The institute, a global body whose current president is Scots lawyer John Campbell QC, envisages handling 500 new cases per year that might otherwise clog up the courts and incur hefty expenses.

It is hoped that the new system will be of particular benefit to small businesses and individuals in giving them cheaper, easier and more user-friendly access to justice.

Campbell said: "The reality is that a lot of small businesses choose to write off debts and disputes because they decide that they can't risk or can't afford to take the matter to court. Arbitration will give them a less expensive and more accessible route for them to have their dispute heard."

The bill, which has cross-party support, was presented by Fergus Ewing, minister for community safety. He said:

"Scotland should be an easy place to do business and it needs the law and courts to back this up and make Scotland the choice for dispute resolutions."