Scotland’s top legal officer made a call yesterday for new powers to end lengthy delays to investigations into oil and gas industry disasters.
Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland highlighted the long wait for final reports into recent North Sea helicopter crashes as he made the plea.
Speaking at a conference at Aberdeen University, Scotland’s top prosecutor said he believed that the Crown required the same power to direct inquiries carried out by health and safety regulators as it has for the police and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency.
He said such a move would improve the investigation and prosecution process, making it more efficient.
Mr Mulholland said: “It’s no accident that we’ve decided to hold this conference in Aberdeen, as it’s effectively the centre of offshore industry and safety in Scotland.
“We have a long track record of tragedies in the north-east, and in times of economic difficulty health and safety has never mattered more.
“I’m calling for the power to instruct investigating agencies in health and safety investigations.
“I don’t have the power currently to instruct the HSE, or the Air Accident Investigation Branch or the Marine Accident Investigation Branch, for example.”
He explained that a major reason behind his call was for the benefit of families waiting anxiously for answers when their loved ones have been involved in industrial tragedies.
“We’re still waiting on the final report of the Sumburgh tragedy from 2013, and of course with the Super Puma one we waited almost three years for the final report.
“And if you don’t have the technical investigator’s report, from the Crown’s perspective, we can’t really move it on.
“If you look at the fatal accident inquiry bill going through the Scottish Parliament, one of the things that’s under consideration is a milestone charter, which would be a set of key dates where things will happen over the course of an investigation, which is set out for the families.
“And in order to make that work I’ve got to have the power to work with investigation agencies to understand when something is achievable, so we can alert and advise the families about milestones they can expect on a particular date going forward.
“We wouldn’t impose in any way unrealistic time-scales in complex matters, as of course from time to time things pop up that are unexpected, but the point is it would give greater certainty and understanding to families going through this difficult process.”
The lord advocate was speaking at a first-of-its-kind conference between himself, the Health and Safety Executive and the Crown Office.