Journalists in Scotland will be allowed to live tweet from courtrooms provided they sign up to a register, according to a new report.

Lord Gill, Scotland’s most senior judge, pictured left, has announced the changes, which will also see television cameras allowed to broadcast civil and criminal appeals live, while some criminal trials may also be filmed for documentary purposes.

The changes follow a review by Lady Dorrian, a judge in the Scottish Supreme Court, who recommended journalists wishing to use “live text based communication” (LTBC), such as Twitter, should first be registered with the Scottish Court Service.

They would then be permitted to use LTBC in court, subject to clear and comprehensive guidelines.

Anybody not on the register would have to seek the presiding judge’s permission on a case by case basis.

Reporters in England and Wales have been able to use Twitter from courtrooms without making a prior application since a decision by the Lord Chief Justice in 2011.

The report states: “A protocol could be devised setting out the conditions upon which use of LTBC may be allowed, stipulating also the use of unobtrusive equipment.

“Anyone not abiding by the protocol would run the risk of having permission to use LTBC rescinded.

“Not all LTBC operate in the same way. In particular, with systems such as twitter, the low character count might impact upon the balance of the coverage which such communications might present.

“If this were to become a problem, further regulation might be imposed relating to the nature of LTBC which should be permitted.”

Under the new changes the filming of criminal trials would be allowed for documentary purposes, except in cases involving children, sexual offences and vulnerable witnesses.

The filming of civil cases will be allowed at the first instance, excluding proceedings involving asylum seekers or in family cases.