§ Dr. GodmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many fatal accident inquiries are to be held in the current year in relation to the deaths of hospital patients in(a) Strathclyde and (b) Scotland as a whole; and if he will make a statement. [23374]
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 11 May 1995]: It is for the Lord Advocate to determine in the light of the circumstances in individual cases whether a fatal accident inquiry is appropriate. It is not possible to estimate how many fatal accident inquiries will be held in any particular year.
§ Dr. GodmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many fatal accident inquiries are to be held in the current year in relation to the deaths of hospital patients in(a) Strathclyde and (b) Scotland as a whole in each of the past 10 years; how many of these cases led to disciplinary action being taken against medical practitioners and other parties; and if he will make a statement. [23375]
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 11 May 1995]: The Crown Office does not hold records centrally of the number of hospital patients whose deaths were subsequently the subject of a fatal accident inquiry. The costs of obtaining this information manually from the records of the 49 procurator fiscal offices in Scotland would be prohibitive. Decisions about disciplinary action following fatal accident inquiries would be for the relevant NHS employer.