Scottish Labour calls on Lord Advocate to resign over drug death delays

Scottish Labour calls on Lord Advocate to resign over drug death delays

James Wolffe QC

Scottish Labour has called on the Lord Advocate, James Wolffe QC, to “consider his position” as a result of severe delays within the fatal accident inquiry system.

The Sunday National has reported that a mother has been told that she will face an “unbearable” nine-month wait for a toxicology report on her daughter’s death because of a backlog facing the service caused by a dispute over funding.

Scottish Labour said it has been raising the troubles at the toxicology service for several months in Parliament, with Richard Leonard quizzing Nicola Sturgeon at First Minister’s Questions last year on behalf of a family.

An investigation by Scottish Labour health spokesperson, Monica Lennon MSP, revealed that almost 2,000 families were affected by delays during 2019 and many of them are still waiting to learn the cause of their loved ones death.

Commenting on the latest reports, she said: “Grieving families should not have to wait several months to find out why their loved ones died. They are paying a heavy price for the cuts made to the toxicology service that led to this dispute.

“The Lord Advocate should be considering his position.

“Under his leadership, the service responsible for investigating 90 per cent of suspected drug deaths in Scotland is in chaos. Scotland’s drug deaths emergency is not being taken seriously by the Crown Office or the Scottish government.

“There is real fear that the publication of the annual drug deaths statistics for 2019 could be delayed until 2021 because of the backlog of work. SNP Ministers don’t even want to talk about it but this problem needs urgent attention.

“The Lord Advocate was appointed by Nicola Sturgeon and if she still has confidence in him, she owes it to all of the families affected to explain why they should share this confidence.

“Apologies are not enough, families deserve answers. They are going through hell.”

A spokesperson for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said: “The Lord Advocate is committed to reducing harm arising from illegal drugs and supports the work of the Drug Death Task Force.

“COPFS appreciates the impact of the delays in toxicology analysis and has allocated £300,000 in additional funding to help address this issue.

“COPFS is evaluating a number of options to secure the future delivery of these services.”

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