Chamber and committees

The following table provides the total number of repatriations registered each year with the Death Certification Review Service (DCRS). It also sets out the number of repatriations reported by DCRS to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) and the number of post-mortem examinations subsequently instructed by COPFS.

The Inquiries into Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths etc. (Scotland) Act 2016 came into force on 15 June 2017. Prior to that date COPFS could not carry out investigations into deaths abroad and accordingly no cases were reported by DCRS to COPFS. Since 2015 COPFS and DCRS have been in frequent contact regarding deaths, including repatriations, and the system works well.

Prior to DCRS being established, the Scottish Government was responsible for examining the death certification of individuals repatriated to Scotland who were to be cremated, and, where appropriate, authorising the cremation to take place. In cases where the Scottish Government found paperwork to be incomplete, cremation would not be authorised.

Unlike DCRS, which examines all repatriations whether for burial or cremation, the Scottish Government did not review paperwork where a burial was to take place, nor did it refer cases to COPFS. Information on the total number of repatriations prior to the establishment of DCRS is, therefore, not held centrally.