§ Mr. Dewarasked the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether the views of the relatives of the victim of a fatal accident are taken into account in deciding whether an inquiry into the death should be held in terms of the Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths Inquiry (Scotland) Act, 1906.
§ Mr. RossYes. In any case of a sudden or suspicious death which does not come within the scope of the Fatal Accidents Inquiry (Scotland) Act, 1895 and in which, although there is no appearance of criminal responsibility, the information available suggests that the occurrence was directly or indirectly connected with the actions of a third party; or in which there is a desire locally for a public inquiry into the circumstances; or where the procurator fiscal considers that such an inquiry is expedient in the public interest, the views of the relatives of the deceased are taken into account in deciding whether an inquiry should be held in terms of the Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths Inquiry (Scotland) Act, 1906. The relatives are informed, however, that the final decision on the matter rests with the Lord Advocate.
§ Mr. Dewarasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total number of deaths in Scotland caused by accidents at work, on the road and in the home in the years 1964, 1965, and 1966; and how many deaths in each category in 81W each year were the subject of a fatal accident inquiry.
§ Mr. RossDeaths caused by accidents are classified by international convention under the heads shown in the following table. The information for 1966 is not yet available.
1964 1965 Road Transport Accidents … 815 804 Other Transport Accidents … 54 68 Non-Transport Accidents, in — The Home … 1,190 1,054 Residential Institutions … 86 103 Farm and Forest … 21 14 Mine and Quarry … 36 29 Industrial Places and Premises … 83 78 Street and Highway … 27 34 Other and unspecified places … 274 288 During the years 1964 to 1966, fatal accident inquiries were held as follows:—
1964 1965 1966 Total number of inquiries 238 268 225 Road transport accidents 43 46 40 Industrial accidents 152 159 158 Other* 43 63 27 * Includes inquiries into accidents in the home, which are not shown separately in the records that are kept of fatal accident inquiries.