Chamber and committees

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.

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.

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.

This information is not held centrally.

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.

The Scottish Government is fully committed to the principle of transparency and adopts the default position to publish material where possible.

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.

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.

The statutory framework for FAIs is the Inquiries into Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths etc (Scotland) Act 2016. The legislation introduced a requirement for the Sheriff conducting the FAI to make a determination setting out their conclusions and recommendations as soon as possible. Recommendations from a Sheriff must be responded to by the body to whom they are directed. The 2016 Act sets out that the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service is required to publish the determination and subsequent response from the party to whom the recommendations are directed. The response will normally detail what action has been taken or is proposed to be taken in light of the recommendations. These are published on the Scottish Courts and Tribunals' website and are therefore publicly available.

As a non-Ministerial office, the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) is responsible for preparing a detailed budget for each financial year. Throughout the Budget process, the Scottish Government liaises with the SCTS to identify its budgetary requirements. These requirements are considered alongside the resource needs of the rest of the justice system in order to ensure the SCTS has sufficient resources to meet its statutory obligations. Compared to the opening 2024-25 budget, an additional £11.5m Resource funding and £2m Capital funding has been provided to the SCTS for 2025-26.