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The determination of an FAI will set out the Sheriff's recommendations, which will be aimed at the relevant public body. The Scottish Government would expect any public body to take cognisance of any recommendations.

The statutory framework for FAIs is the Inquiries into Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths etc (Scotland) Act 2016. The legislation introduced a requirement for the Sheriff conducting the FAI to make a determination setting out their conclusions and recommendations as soon as possible. Recommendations from a Sheriff must be responded to by the body to whom they are directed. The 2016 Act sets out that the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service is required to publish the determination and subsequent response from the party to whom the recommendations are directed. The response will normally detail what action has been taken or is proposed to be taken in light of the recommendations. These are published on the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service website and are therefore publicly available.

The Scottish Government recently announced a review into how fatal accident inquiries operate. That review follows the publication of Sheriff Collins' determination of the fatal accident inquiry into the deaths of Katie Allen and William Brown in Polmont YOI in 2018. There are however no specific plans for the monitoring of recommendations made following FAIs generally. Each policy area will monitor recommendations of relevance to them.

FAIs cover a number of areas of policy interest. It would be for each Scottish Government policy area to consider if a particular determination or response gave rise to further consideration or action. We would expect any public body to take cognisance of any such recommendations.

The Scottish Government has acknowledged that there are concerns about the operation of the FAI system. In January of this year, following publication of the determination of the FAI into the deaths of Katie Allen and William Brown at Polmont Young Offenders Institute, the Scottish Government announced a focussed, independent review of the FAI system. This review is to look at the efficiency, effectiveness and trauma-informed nature of investigations into deaths in prison custody.

The Scottish Government has acknowledged that there are concerns about the operation of fatal accident inquiries. In January of this year the Scottish Government announced a focussed, independent review of the FAI system. This review is to look at the efficiency, effectiveness and trauma-informed nature of investigations into deaths in prison custody.

FAIs cover a wide range of policy areas and recommendations are equally wide-ranging. The Scottish Government expects that the relevant individual policy area or public body would take action in light of any recommendations.

This information is not held centrally.

Training of the judiciary, including the training provided to sheriffs who hear fatal accident inquiries, is not a matter for the Scottish Government but rather for the Lord President.

The Scottish Government supports the independent judiciary's careful examination of matters in FAI determinations and believes that valuable learning is offered through the process.