- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 4 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has assessed the effectiveness of current processes for (a) monitoring and (b) ensuring the implementation of recommendations made following fatal accident inquiries.
Answer
The Scottish Government recently announced a review into how fatal accident inquiries operate. That review follows the publication of Sheriff Collins' determination of the fatal accident inquiry into the deaths of Katie Allen and William Brown in Polmont YOI in 2018. There are however no specific plans for the monitoring of recommendations made following FAIs generally. Each policy area will monitor recommendations of relevance to them.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 4 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it monitors any trends or common factors identified across fatal accident inquiries, and how it uses any such data in its policy development.
Answer
FAIs cover a number of areas of policy interest. It would be for each Scottish Government policy area to consider if a particular determination or response gave rise to further consideration or action. We would expect any public body to take cognisance of any such recommendations.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 4 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered any reforms or changes to the fatal accident inquiry system, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer
The Scottish Government has acknowledged that there are concerns about the operation of the FAI system. In January of this year, following publication of the determination of the FAI into the deaths of Katie Allen and William Brown at Polmont Young Offenders Institute, the Scottish Government announced a focussed, independent review of the FAI system. This review is to look at the efficiency, effectiveness and trauma-informed nature of investigations into deaths in prison custody.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 4 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has assessed any barriers to implementing recommendations arising from fatal accident inquiries, and, if so, what any such barriers were.
Answer
The Scottish Government has acknowledged that there are concerns about the operation of fatal accident inquiries. In January of this year the Scottish Government announced a focussed, independent review of the FAI system. This review is to look at the efficiency, effectiveness and trauma-informed nature of investigations into deaths in prison custody.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 4 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) support and (b) guidance it provides to organisations to implement recommendations arising from fatal accident inquiries.
Answer
FAIs cover a wide range of policy areas and recommendations are equally wide-ranging. The Scottish Government expects that the relevant individual policy area or public body would take action in light of any recommendations.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 4 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many fatal accident inquiry recommendations have required legislative changes in each of the last three financial years, and how many of these have been implemented.
Answer
This information is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 4 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-34946 by Mairi Gougeon on 20 February 2025, whether it can now provide a breakdown of its Budget commitment to invest £5.11 million to restore rainforest.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-34946 on 20 February 2025, budget allocation for Atlantic Rainforest restoration at the project/programme level is still to be finalised. Further details will be released in due course. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 4 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the adequacy of training provided to sheriffs who preside over fatal accident inquiries.
Answer
Training of the judiciary, including the training provided to sheriffs who hear fatal accident inquiries, is not a matter for the Scottish Government but rather for the Lord President.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 4 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish details of Project Chia's consideration of the social value of Ferguson Marine Port Glasgow.
Answer
The Scottish Government is fully committed to the principle of transparency and adopts the default position to publish material where possible.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 4 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its assessment is of the effectiveness of fatal accident inquiries in preventing similar fatalities.
Answer
The Scottish Government supports the independent judiciary's careful examination of matters in FAI determinations and believes that valuable learning is offered through the process.