Outrage over long waits for FAI results

RISING completion times for fatal accident inquiries is “unacceptable”, the Scottish Tories have said.

In a written response to Tory MSP Jamie Greene, Justice Secretary Keith Brown said the average length of time taken by the FAIS which concluded last year was 1,067 days, or just under three years.

The figure was based on when evidence-taking was finished, rather than when the sheriff’s determination was issued.

Of the 42 FAIS which finished evidence-taking in 2021/22, the shortest took 322 days and the longest 3,440 days, almost nine-and-a-half years.

The Tories said the average was 128 days longer than in 2020/21.

In his response, Mr Brown noted the impact of the Covid pandemic on court proceedings.

Mr Greene, who is proposing a Member’s Bill at Holyrood to bring in statutory time limits for FAIS, said: “The latest increase in the completion time for fatal accident inquiries is completely unacceptable.

“For inquiries to be taking just shy of three years on average to complete is outrageous and an insult to victims’ families.

“The revelation from the startling response I received from the SNP Justice Secretary that one inquiry that was concluded last year took nine years to complete is scarcely believable.

“These long, drawn-out inquiries cannot continue any longer. That is why I am pressing ahead with my plans to introduce a statutory time limit for inquiries to complete as part of my Victims Law.”

A spokesman for the Crown Office said: “We understand that having the death of a loved one investigated is a difficult experience for people who have experienced loss.

“The Crown Office has taken action to improve our death investigation work and reduce the time it takes for cases to be completed.

“Some cases will necessarily take longer to conclude than others.”