Chamber and committees

There is no backlog of post mortem examinations in Aberdeen and the majority of routine examinations are completed within agreed targets.

COPFS works closely with the Aberdeen mortuary team and locum pathologists to ensure that any issues with service delivery are highlighted and resolved as quickly as possible with the minimum of impact to bereaved families.

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.

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body supports the reimbursement of pedal cycle mileage expenses for MSP staff in relation to business travel as part of its commitment to sustainable and eco-friendly travel options.

Members may also claim for reimbursement of pedal cycle mileage expenses that occur because of their parliamentary work. The reimbursement rate for bicycle travel is set at 20p per mile which is in line with current HMRC approved mileage rates. This policy aligns with broader efforts by the SPCB to promote green initiatives and supports MSP staff in making environmentally friendly travel choices.

Over the past year, the Scottish Government has committed £1m for Gaza and the wider Middle East, including £750k for UNRWA and a further £250k to the Disasters Emergency Committee, Mercy Corps and SCIAF. This money will provide food, water, medical assistance and shelter to displaced people across the region.

Given the intolerable suffering in Gaza, the fact that humanitarian access continues to be systematically blocked is unconscionable. Israel's decision to ban UNRWA will undoubtedly further undermine living conditions in Gaza. We continue to call for an immediate ceasefire and unfettered access to vital humanitarian aid for civilians across Gaza.

The Scottish Government is supportive of increasing sustainable travel and better integrated travel infrastructure for the north east. As part of this, Officials from Transport Scotland attended a roundtable event organised by the Campaign for North East Rail (CNER) and Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce (AGCC) in Ellon on 15 November 2024.

The Scottish Government is considering the findings of the Buchan Sustainable Transport Study and a decision on next steps is still to be made.

The Scottish Government works closely with all ports and harbours, and recognises the significant contribution they make to the economy of Scotland. Ministers and officials meet with ports regularly to discuss challenges and opportunities for the sector. Transport Scotland also administers the Harbour Revision Order process, to enable ports to adapt and modernise their facilities to changing demand and to facilitate new investment. However, ports are deemed to be commercial businesses, and decisions on how best to utilise their resources are the responsibility of the port authority.

The SPCB can confirm that temperatures will be maintained to allow building users to work comfortably within their specific work areas.

We are aware that the temperature in the building recently was below comfortable levels.

We are currently undertaking a major replacement project for the Building Energy Management System (BEMS) which controls and monitors the heating, ventilation, and cooling throughout the building. The outside temperature had taken a sudden dip; this was the first time the new controls were stress tested. We had expected the building to react more quickly to the drop in temperature; clearly this was not the case. The parameters have now been adjusted to take this into account and a faulty external sensor has been re-calibrated.

Climate finance is key to climate action – as it is essential to allow developing countries to decarbonise in a fair way which supports communities, builds resilience, and addresses loss and damage caused by climate change, in particular frequent devastating weather events.

Scotland was the first nation to commit funds specifically to climate justice, launching the Climate Justice Fund (CJF) in 2012, and committing to trebling it to £36 million over the course of this Parliamentary Term (2021-2026). The Fund is fully committed, with £10 million mobilised to address loss and damage, in line with our commitment to urgently meet the needs of vulnerable communities.

For a full breakdown of allocations, please go to: Climate Justice Fund 2024-2026: allocations - gov.scot.

In order to manage resources across parliamentary staff teams and the campus on busy business nights – as well as the impact on Members’ diaries – agreement was given by the Corporate Body to limit the number of Member-sponsored events accordingly.  The Events and Exhibitions Team currently deliver and support a maximum of between nine and ten Member-sponsored events weekly on behalf of Members, with two of those slots being for Thursday lunchtime events.