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In my capacity as Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy, I can confirm that I have not met Leylodge Against Industrialisation.

In my capacity as Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy, I can confirm that I have not met Deeside Against Pylons.

COPFS has spent £19,485.37 on locum forensic pathologists since April 2024.

Where forensic service providers in Scotland have instructed the use of a forensic pathology locum pathologist to provide assistance, for example to cover sick leave, the costs are not known but there has been no additional cost to COPFS.

All doctors are expected to work within the standards set out by the General Medical Council for good medical practice.

The Royal College of Pathologists and NHS Education for Scotland oversee training standards in pathology and their uniformity across Scotland.

COPFS regularly meets and engages with pathology providers on a range of issues. These also allow discussion on any feedback received. Every post mortem examination report is considered by a COPFS legal member of staff and our investigation is only concluded when we are satisfied that all issues have been addressed.

The Family Liaison Charter sets out the Crown’s obligations in relation to liaising with and providing information to bereaved relatives. These obligations apply equally to deaths arising in any area of Scotland.

If a post mortem examination in relation to a suspicious death requires to be transferred to another area, Police Scotland Family Liaison Officers will engage with the family at an early stage to explain the processes and timescales and keep them updated with the progress of the investigation.

COPFS has spent the following on locum forensic pathologists in Aberdeen in each of the last ten years:

The reforms would increase public participation in development proposals at pre application stage. The transparency of the process would remain unchanged. All information relating to applications to build, operate or modify onshore electricity generating stations with capacities exceeding 50 megawatts, as well as all applications to install overhead power lines, large oil and gas pipelines, and associated infrastructure are published and searchable on our Energy Consents website, at https://energyconsents.scot/

In my capacity as Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy, I can confirm that I have not met with the listed Community Councils and I currently have no plans in place to meet them.

The certification of a person’s death is a matter that falls solely within the clinical responsibility of medical practitioners, who require to be satisfied to the best of their knowledge and belief as to the cause of death.

Following a post mortem examination, the pathologist will ordinarily certify the cause of death. In some cases, an ‘interim’ death certificate is issued by the pathologist indicating that the cause of death is unascertained until the results of further analysis - including but not limited to histopathology, toxicology and neuropathology - are obtained. This certificate allows the death to be registered and the body to be released to the family to allow funeral arrangements to be made. Once all analysis has concluded and the final cause of death is confirmed, the interim death certificate is then amended. However, in a small percentage of cases the pathologist is unable to determine a cause of death even after all such analysis is done.

We have identified 12 cases in 2023-24 where, following post mortem examination, the pathologist was unable to determine a cause of death and the cause was certified as ‘Unascertained’.

Where a pathologist is unable to determine a cause of death, they will include in their report as much information as possible about their findings to assist nearest relatives with possible explanations for the death having occurred. COPFS will provide that information to relatives when advising them of the final cause of death.

The following table shows the numbers of forensic post mortems conducted by two doctors that would normally have been performed in Aberdeen and that were transferred to Edinburgh. Some post mortems were also transferred to Dundee and Glasgow.

Only suspicious forensic post mortem examinations are being transferred from Aberdeen. Prior to October 2022, these were performed by forensic pathologists based in Aberdeen.