BBC Democracy Live - Call for Justice Committee to vote down court closures Scottish Labour's justice spokesperson Lewis Macdonald called on the Justice Committee to vote down proposals to close ten sheriff courts and seven justice of the peace courts across Scotland, during a debate on 24 April 2013. The plans were proposed by the Scottish Court Service and were given the backing of Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill last week. MSPs on the Justice Committee will get the opportunity to vote on the plans when they scrutinise them in the summer. Mr Macdonald said the closures and cuts were "Kenny MacAskill's cuts and not the court services" and to deny this was to "insult all those being denied access to local justice." He said the remaining courts would struggle to absorb the remaining business which would slow down proceedings and increase costs and that Mr MacAskill had accepted the proposals with "unseemly haste." The justice secretary said he could not deliver better access to justice by avoiding the need for change and that he was "acting on the best advice given to me by Scotland's most senior judge and the Scottish court service." In his amendment, Mr MacAskill stated the recommendations of the Scottish Court Service needed to be viewed against the backdrop of unprecedented cuts to the Scottish budget by the UK Government. He also said the Scottish Court Service believed that the proposals will support a future court structure fit for the 21st century. Conservative MSP Margaret Mitchell said the attempt to make savings by closing courts would lead to the remaining courts being overstretched at the "expense of the victims and witnesses."