Specialist health and safety division for Scotland
October 10, 2008
Scotland’s Lord Advocate, the Rt Hon Elish Angiolini QC, has announced the creation of a new dedicated specialist health and safety division for the investigation and prosecution of all cases which are reported to the Scottish Procurator Fiscal by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Led by a senior prosecutor, the new division will consist of lawyers working in three teams, as follows:
- Scotland North, working closely with HSE staff in Aberdeen
- Scotland East, working with HSE staff in Edinburgh
- Scotland West, working with HSE staff in Glasgow.
A source at the Scottish Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said it was anticipated that the new approach would result in a greater concentration of expertise; increased specialist input at the start of an investigation; and enhanced liaison with stakeholders in the area of investigation and prosecution.
Commenting on the new division, the Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini QC said, "With the creation of this national division, which will work in three geographical teams, we are pooling expertise and experience, and ensuring that lawyers who work on HSE cases will be solely dedicated to this specialist area of investigation and prosecution."
Similarly, Judith Hackitt, Chair of the HSE, said, "I am delighted to hear that this new division is being set up in COPFS … Our joint working in such specialised and sensitive territory can only be enhanced by having a dedicated team of lawyers involved. We look forward to working with the new prosecution division to enhance the delivery of justice in Scotland."
Finally, Graham Smith, General Secretary of the STUC, said, "This announcement from the Lord Advocate is extremely welcome, and the formation of a specialist health and safety division within the Crown Office is something we support wholeheartedly." The new division will operate effective from January 2009.
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