§ 29. Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Solicitor-General for Scotland if he has now received the report of the procurator fiscal on the fire that took place at Kirkcaldy Victoria hospital; and what action he intends to take.
§ The Solicitor-General for ScotlandFor the reasons given in my letter of 19 February to the hon. Gentleman, the procurator fiscal at Kirkcaldy has still to submit a full report on this tragic fire, but it will be submitted to my noble and learned Friend, the Lord Advocate, in the near future. It is the intention of my noble and learned Friend to request that a fatal accident inquiry be held unless some unexpected information is received in the report from the procurator fiscal.
§ Mr. HamiltonI commiserate with the hon. Gentleman for having joined such a dreadful Government. I thank him for his letter. When does he expect to receive the report from the procurator fiscal, and when will the fatal accident inquiry be held?
§ The Solicitor-General for ScotlandAs I told the hon. Gentleman in my letter, the procurator fiscal has been seeking reports from such experts as the Fire Research Station at Borehamwood. The Health and Safety Executive is looking into the cause and the seat of the fire and why it appeared to travel so quickly. For that reason it has taken some time to make the investigations, but it is expected that the full report from the procurator fiscal will be available in the near future. Arrangements are already being made, but if my noble and learned Friend should apply for a fatal accident inquiry it would be a matter of weeks before it would commence.