{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/legal-aid-scotland-act-1986/section-23",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/legal-aid-scotland-act-1986/section-23.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/1986/47",
  "legislation_title": "Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1986",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/legal-aid-scotland-act-1986",
  "path": "section/23",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "23",
  "heading": "Power of the court to grant legal aid.",
  "text": "(1) Criminal legal aid shall be available on an application made to the court—\n(a) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(b) where a person who has not previously been sentenced to imprisonment or detention has been convicted in summary proceedings, and the court is considering a sentence of imprisonment or detention or the imposition of imprisonment under section 396(2) of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1975 (failure to pay a fine when no time for payment is allowed),\nif the court is satisfied after consideration of the person’s financial circumstances that the expenses of the case cannot be met without undue hardship to him or his dependants.\n(2) In subsection (1) above, “the court” means—\n(a) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(b) in relation to summary proceedings, the court before which the proceedings are being taken,\nand references in that subsection to detention shall be construed in accordance with section 204(4)(b) of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995.",
  "extent": "S",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "S. 23(1)(a) repealed (25.11.2010) by Legal Profession and Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 2007 (asp 5), ss. 64(3)(a), 82(2) (with s. 77); S.S.I. 2010/376, art 2"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "S. 23(2)(a) repealed (25.11.2010) by Legal Profession and Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 2007 (asp 5), ss. 64(3)(b), 82(2), (with s. 77); S.S.I. 2010/376, art 2"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Words in s. 23(2) substituted (1.4.1996) by 1995 c. 40, ss. 5, 7(2), Sch. 4 para. 63(4)"
    },
    {
      "type": "M",
      "label": "M1",
      "text": "1975 c. 21."
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/47/section/23",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:54:56.156299+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}