{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/legal-aid-scotland-act-1986/section-8A",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/legal-aid-scotland-act-1986/section-8A.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/1986/47",
  "legislation_title": "Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1986",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/legal-aid-scotland-act-1986",
  "path": "section/8A",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "8A",
  "heading": "Criminal advice and assistance: automatic availability in certain circumstances",
  "text": "(1) The Scottish Ministers may by regulations provide that, in such circumstances as may be prescribed in the regulations, advice and assistance in relation to criminal matters is to be available for any relevant client without reference to\n(a) the financial limits in section 8 ; or—\n(b) the criteria mentioned in section 9A(2).\n(1A) Regulations under subsection (1) may also provide that, in such circumstances as may be prescribed in the regulations, section 11(2) is not to apply in respect of advice and assistance made available to a relevant client.\n(2) In subsections (1) and (1A), “relevant client” means a client who is\n(a) a person to whom section 32 (right to have solicitor present) of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016 applies\n(b) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(c) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(d) a person who is detained under section 41 of, or Schedule 7 to, the Terrorism Act 2000, or\n(e) a person who is detained under Part 1 of Schedule 3 to the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019.",
  "extent": "S",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "S. 8A inserted (30.10.2010) by Criminal Procedure (Legal Assistance, Detention and Appeals) (Scotland) Act 2010 (asp 15), ss. 2(3), 9"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words in s. 8A(1) renumbered as s. 8A(1)(a) (11.10.2013) by Scottish Civil Justice Council and Criminal Legal Assistance Act 2013 (asp 3), ss. 23(4)(a), 25(2); S.S.I. 2013/262, art. 2"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "S. 8A(1)(b) and word inserted (11.10.2013) by Scottish Civil Justice Council and Criminal Legal Assistance Act 2013 (asp 3), ss. 23(4)(b), 25(2); S.S.I. 2013/262, art. 2"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "S. 8A(1A) inserted (11.10.2013) by Scottish Civil Justice Council and Criminal Legal Assistance Act 2013 (asp 3), ss. 17(a), 25(2); S.S.I. 2013/262, art. 2"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F5",
      "text": "Words in s. 8A(2) substituted (11.10.2013) by virtue of Scottish Civil Justice Council and Criminal Legal Assistance Act 2013 (asp 3), ss. 17(b), 25(2); S.S.I. 2013/262, art. 2"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F6",
      "text": "Words in s. 8A(2) renumbered as s. 8A(2)(a) (15.7.2011) by The Criminal Procedure (Legal Assistance, Detention and Appeals) (Scotland) Act 2010 (Consequential Provisions) Order 2011 (S.I. 2011/1739), arts. 1(2), 3(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F7",
      "text": "Words in s. 8A(2)(a) substituted (25.1.2018) by Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016 (asp 1), s. 117(2), sch. 2 para. 35; S.S.I. 2017/345, art. 3, sch. (with art. 4)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F8",
      "text": "S. 8A(2)(b)(c) repealed (25.1.2018) by The Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016 (Consequential Provisions) Order 2018 (S.I. 2018/46), arts. 2(2)(b), 13(1) (with art. 13(2)(3))"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F9",
      "text": "S. 8A(2)(d)(e) inserted (12.2.2019) by Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019 (c. 3), s. 27(1)(f), Sch. 4 para. 19"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/47/section/8A",
    "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."
}