Effect
383.A county or sheriff court may need to take various steps during proceedings in order to safeguard national security. This section enables the Civil Procedure Rules Committee (for England and Wales) and the Sheriff Court Rules Council (for Scotland) to make rules of court to enable the court to exclude a claimant, representative or assessor from part or all of the proceedings; permit a claimant or representative who has been excluded to make a statement before the proceedings begin; and ensure that part or all of the reasons for a decision on the merits of the case are kept secret. Where the claimant or his or her representative is excluded from proceedings, a special advocate can be appointed to represent the claimant’s interests.