Publications - Scottish Law Commission

Annual Report 2025

2026-03-25T12:07:06+00:00

The Report outlines the strong progress made on the Commission’s law reform work during 2025, highlights the continued advances in implementation of the Commission’s recommendations and provides information about the Commission’s expenditure. Further details can be found within the Report.

Commissioners' Register of Interests

2026-02-11T08:48:00+00:00

This sets out the Commissioners' Register of Interests.

Report 270: Tenement law: compulsory owners' associations

2025-12-11T15:37:52+00:00

This project considered changes to the law of the tenement in order to propose a way in which compulsory owners’ associations could be established in flats across Scotland. The original proposal regarding the establishment of compulsory owners’ associations came from the Scottish Parliament’s Working Group on Tenement Maintenance, and the project was established following a reference to the SLC from the Scottish Government.

Report 269: Mental Element in Homicide

2025-09-25T10:10:25+01:00

This Report makes recommendations for reform of the law of homicide in Scotland. It recommends statutory offences of murder and culpable homicide to better reflect the mental element in each offence and set out a clearer boundary between the two offences, using language and concepts that are appropriate for 21st century Scotland. The Report also recommends a statutory partial defence of provocation restricted to provocation by acts of physical violence. Under this proposed defence, the sexual infidelity of an intimate partner would no longer qualify as a provocative act on the basis of which an accused can establish a partial defence to murder.

Whistleblowing Policy

2025-05-12T08:27:48+01:00

This sets out the Commission's policy regarding whistleblowing.

Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 Statement 2024-2025

2025-04-01T08:18:37+01:00

This statement sets out the information about expenditure that the Commission is required to publish under the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010. This statement applies to the financial year 2024-5.

Report 267: Tenancy of Shops (Scotland) Act 1949

2025-02-18T10:25:42+00:00

The Report on the Tenancy of Shops (Scotland) Act 1949 summarises the history and problems with the Tenancy of Shops (Scotland) Act 1949. It outlines the response to each of the four options for reform which were presented in the earlier Discussion Paper, and recommends that the Act is repealed with no reform or replacement.

Report 266: Damages for Personal Injury

2024-12-04T12:08:41+00:00

The Scottish Law Commission’s Report on Damages for Personal Injury recommends reforming the law of damages for personal injury to better reflect modern society. It proposes reforms to widen eligibility for damages for services, clarify when payments should be deducted from awards, address time‑bar issues in asbestos‑related cases, and strengthen protections for children receiving damages.

Discussion Paper 178: Civil Remedies for Domestic Abuse

2024-04-30T09:26:52+01:00

Discussion Paper 178: Civil Remedies for Domestic Abuse

Discussion Paper 176: Tenement law: compulsory owners' associations

2024-04-25T13:25:38+01:00

Discussion Paper 176: Tenement law: compulsory owners' associations

Discussion Paper 177: Tenancy of Shops (Scotland) Act 1949

2024-04-25T12:13:25+01:00

Discussion Paper 177: Tenancy of Shops (Scotland) Act 1949

Annual Report 2023

2024-02-21T13:27:25+00:00

The annual report covers the Commission's activities and expenditure for 2023.

Environmental Policy 2023

2023-12-01T08:34:31+00:00

This sets out the environmental management policy of the Scottish Law Commission.

Discussion Paper 175: Heritable Securities: Non-monetary securities and sub-securities

2023-06-29T13:43:35+01:00

Discussion Paper 175: Heritable Securities: Non-monetary securities and sub-securities

Eleventh Programme of Law Reform

2023-05-07T16:05:39+01:00

The programme sets out the Commission's projects for 2018 to 2022.