§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Why no one has been charged in relation to the Piper Alpha disaster.
§ The Lord Advocate (Lord Fraser of Carmyllie)After careful consideration of a report from the procurator fiscal at Aberdeen and an analysis and assessment by Crown counsel, it was concluded that there would be no criminal proceedings arising out of the circumstances of the disaster.
The Crown is not obliged to explain the reasons for its decisions but careful regard was paid to the findings of Lord Cullen's report and the detailed evidence laid before him. He applied the ordinary standard of proof in civil cases—namely, proof on a balance of probabilities—to his examination of the evidence. He noted that there was no direct evidence as to what happened and that accordingly proof was dependent upon inference from the evidence. Very little equipment or physical evidence could be recovered and a number of key personnel on duty at the time of the disaster tragically lost their lives. No new evidence or information regarding the disaster has come to light since the conclusion of Lord Cullen's most thorough and exhaustive inquiry. It was concluded on the basis of all the available evidence that the cause of and any criminal responsibility for the disaster could not be established on the higher test, required in criminal proceedings, namely, proof beyond reasonable doubt.