About us
The Judicial Complaints Reviewer was established under The Judiciary and Courts (Scotland) Act 2008 to review the handling of complaints investigations by the Judicial Office for Scotland into members of the judiciary, to ensure that they have been dealt with in accordance with the Rules. The Judicial Complaints Reviewer ensures that the Judicial Office follows its own Rules – the Complaints about the Judiciary (Scotland) Rules.
The service is free, independent and impartial. It is open to those who have complained about the conduct of a member of the judiciary, and to those who have been the subject of a complaint.
The Judicial Complaints Reviewer is contracted for up to 3 days per month, with no administrative support.
Who is the Judicial Complaints Reviewer?
Mr Mollison is a Panel Member and Chair for the General Teaching Council for Scotland and for Redress Scotland.
He has considerable experience dealing with professional complaints and undertaking senior roles within the areas of Risk and Quality Assurance.
What powers does the Judicial Complaints Reviewer have?
I review investigations undertaken by the Judicial Office for Scotland to check that they have been carried out in accordance with the Rules and I can make written representations to the Lord President about procedures for handling the investigation of matters concerning the conduct of judicial office holders. The Lord President, who is the head of the judiciary in Scotland, must have regard to my representations.
Personal commitment
What I will deliver by way of service
I believe in service excellence and make the following personal commitment to you. I will:
- Keep you informed about the progress of your review
- Give you clear reasons for my decisions
- Treat you professionally and with courtesy
- Respect your confidentiality and take appropriate care of your information
- Use clear language
- As far as I am able, adjust my service to your needs
I welcome feedback. If my service falls short in any way, or you have comments, suggestions or even compliments, I would like to hear from you. Your comments will help me learn what works well and what I could improve.
Freedom of Information
The Judicial Complaints Reviewer is not covered by Freedom of Information legislation. However, I believe that the public has a right to expect the Reviewer to act in an open, accountable and transparent way. Therefore, although not within the scope of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, I will work within the spirit of the legislation and make available whatever information I am able to without breeching anyone’s confidentiality. If there is information about my work that you wish to have, please contact me.
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The current Judicial Complaints Reviewer is James Mollison, who took up post on 1 September 2022.
How to seek a review
Find out how the Judicial Complaints Reviewer can help.