What should I do if I am ill when I am due to attend court?
If you are ill on the date you are due to attend court you must contact the clerk of court on the telephone number on the local information leaflet you will have received before 9:15 am. Contact details can also be accessed on Court Locations page. You must also provide a medical certificate. Medical certificates which are requested from GPs for the purpose of jury service are exempt from payment. This is in terms of The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) (Scotland) Regulations 2004. You should therefore tell the GP surgery of the purpose of the certificate and if you have any difficulty in getting the certificate free of charge you should refer the surgery to these regulations.
I earn more than the amounts payable for jury service, can I claim more?
Loss of earnings compensation for jurors is decided by the Scottish Ministers, and is reviewed annually. Payments are made as compensation for loss incurred during attendance, but may not fully cover individual juror’s actual loss of earnings. Payments are based on standard rates worked out by the time spent on jury duty. The maximum amounts payable are included in the expenses guide. There is no scope for any juror to be paid more than these maximum amounts.
Is childcare available at the court?
There are no childcare facilities available at the court. You may, however, be able to claim childcare expenses. Please read the expenses guide for more details.
How can I find out if I am required for jury service tomorrow?
You should telephone the jurors’ attendance update line as mentioned in your citation.
I am an employer, can I claim expenses as my employee has been selected for jury service?
No, only the employee can claim for loss of earnings. Please read the expenses guide for more details.
How do I apply for excusal/exemption?
You should read the
‘Guide to Jury Service Eligibility and Applying for Excusal’ and fill in the application for exemption or excusal from jury service form that you will have received and return it to the court which cited you. The court contact details can be found on
your citation or can be accessed on the
Court Locations page.
Who do I contact to find out if my application for excusal/exemption from jury service has been granted?
You should receive a letter from the court advising if this has been granted or not. If you do not receive anything then you should contact the court which cited you.
The contact details are provided on the ‘Local Information Sheet’ that you will have been sent, or can be accessed on the Court Locations page. Please note that you should not use the jurors’ attendance update line number for this purpose.