Act of Sederunt (Rules of the Court of Session 1994 Amendment) (Court Sittings) 2026

Made: 4th February 2026

Laid before the Scottish Parliament: 5th February 2026

Coming into force in accordance with paragraph 1(2), (3) and (4)

The Court of Session makes this Act of Sederunt under the powers conferred by section 103(1) of the Courts Reform (Scotland) Act 2014[^f00001] and all other powers enabling it to do so.

Citation and commencement, etc.

1

• (1) This Act of Sederunt may be cited as the Act of Sederunt (Rules of the Court of Session 1994 Amendment) (Court Sittings) 2026.

• (2) Subject to sub-paragraphs (3) and (4), it comes into force on 1st January 2027.

• (3) Paragraph 2(2)(a) comes into force on 9th March 2026.

• (4) Paragraph 2(2)(c) and schedule 2 come into force on 6th January 2027.

• (5) A certified copy is to be inserted in the Books of Sederunt.

Amendment of the Rules of the Court of Session 1994

2

• (1) Chapter 10 (court sittings) of the Rules of the Court of Session 1994[^f00002] is amended in accordance with this paragraph.

• (2) In rule 10.3 (holiday dates, periods and vacation sitting days)[^f00003]—

• (a) in the definition of “public holiday”, in the column of the Table labelled “2026” omit the words “the afternoon of”;

• (b) in the definition of “public holiday”, for the Table substitute the Table in schedule 1;

• (c) in the definition of “vacation”, for the Table substitute the Table in schedule 2;

• (d) in the definition of “vacation sitting day”, for the Table substitute the Table in schedule 3.

SCHEDULE 1

SCHEDULE 2

SCHEDULE 3

Signed

PAUL CULLEN — Lord President — I.P.D. — 4th February 2026

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Act of Sederunt)

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This Act of Sederunt amends the Rules of the Court of Session 1994 to set out the public holidays, vacation periods and vacation sitting days of the Court of Session up to the end of the 2029 winter vacation.

This Act of Sederunt also amends the public holidays so that Christmas Eve, or its equivalent, depending on whether Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or Boxing Day fall on a weekend, becomes a full day’s public holiday.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 2014 asp 18.

[^f00002]: The Rules of the Court of Session 1994 are in schedule 2 of the Act of Sederunt (Rules of the Court of Session 1994) 1994 (S.I. 1994/1443), last amended by S.S.I. 2025/80. Chapter 10 was substituted by S.S.I. 2017/414 and last amended by S.S.I.2023/57.

[^f00003]: The Tables in Rule 10.3 were substituted by S.S.I. 2022/250.