A Fatal Accident Inquiry opened in Oban this morning into the March 2009 deaths Continue reading
Tag Archives: deaths
Scottish raptor poisonings fall back to 2007 level
After an encouragingly marked fall in the number Continue reading
Alcohol related hospital discharges for Argyll 16% up in 5 years
According to statistics just released by NHS Scotland, Continue reading
Avalanche deaths on Buchaille Etive Mor and Climber injured on Ben Nevis
Just over a year after an avalanche on Buchaille Etive Mor killed three climbers, two from Ireland Continue reading
Cry me a win: Brown and Cameron
What can Nick Clegg dredge up? From now on, will the only viable party leader Continue reading
Scottish Avalanche Information Service kicks in today
Scotland’s Avalanche Information Service (SAIS), operating Continue reading
Harris Tweed drops ‘Scottish’ from branding in USA
Harris Tweed has admitted that it has dropped the word Continue reading
MoD grounds Nimrod fleet 30 months after inquest blames aircraft for 14 in-flight refuelling deaths
The Ministry of Defence has now announced that it is grounding the BAE Nimrod fleet from 31st March. The aircraft will have their engine bay hot-air ducts and their fuel seals replaced.
These were each thought to have played a critical role in an accident in September 2006 that claimed the lives of 14 servicemen based at RAF Kinloss. The men died when fuel leaking during in-flight refuelling hit a hot pipe.
The coroner at their inquest in May 2008, Andrew Walker, said that the aircraft had ‘never been airworthy’ and called then for the entire fleet to be grounded. The then Defence Secretary, Des Browne, multi-tasking as Scottish Secretary, insisted that the aircraft were safe to fly.
The families of those who died back in September 2006 will reasonably wonder why it has taken so long to make this decision.
Those who have had to fly Nimrod since then will wonder why their safety has been consistently compromised.
The crew who must continue to fly the aircraft until 31st March – and their families – will wonder why the, now admittedly unsafe, aircraft are to be kept in the air for another three weeks.
All the aircraft concerned are based overseas and the MoD says that there will be no operational impact from their withdrawal. This rather defies logic since, in his written statement to the House of Commons, Defence Minister Bob Ainsworth says that the temporary halt to overseas operations ‘will allow us to free up the maximum number of aircraft for the modification programme while also allowing Nimrod to continue with its critical homeland security tasks’.
It is hard to see how a temporary halt to overseas operations can be described as without operational impact.
Then there is a bit of compensatory spin on continuing ‘homeland security’. This is itself undermined by the fact that the movement of engineering staff from Nimrod’s home base at RAF Kinloss to work on the modifications at RAF Waddington ‘will cause a temporary reduction in routine UK-based Nimrod flying but will not affect our ability to protect UK interests at home’.
Again, where’s the logic. Any reduction to what is considered a necessary flight frequency cannot but ‘affect our ability to protect UK interests at home’.
Then the MoD say there will be no operational impact in Afghanistan because they plan to use other UK and coalition aircraft to cover any shortfall. This begs the question why they have not done this long before now.
Nothing adds up. It never did. We can only hope that the Nimrods in the air between now and 31st March get back to base safely.
The photograph, above, of a BAE Nimrod in flight is reproduced here under the Creative Commons licence.
Scots service families welcome progress in move to hold inquests in Scotland into deaths of servicemen abroad
Until now, inquests into the deaths abroad of Scots servicemen have had to be held on England. This has led to two problems – delays in the inquests in England with the volume to be heard and the distance, time and expense inflicted on Scots families.
The Scottish Government and Scottish Westminster MPs have been keen to have such inquests heard in Scotnad and the bodies of Scots servicemen killed to be repatriated here. The UK Government and the Scottish Office have been in discussions with the Scottish Governemnt about the matter. Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill has talked to UK Armed Forces Minister Bob Ainsworth and progress is now being made.
Westminster is proposing a system which would stop short of a complete transfer of such powers to Holyrood. The system under discussions is that the UK Secretary of State for Defence would, if the body of a Scottish serviceman or woman was still outside the UK and if relatives consented, ask the Scottish Lord Advocate to hold an FAI into the death. The body could then be repatriated to Scotland, where the FAI would be carried out under the amended Scots law.
Amendments will need to be made to both English and Scots laws to enable the development. Under Scots law, for example, Fatal Accident Inquiries (FAIs) cannot be held here into deaths taking place abroad. It is understood that the UK Government wishes to see these changes made within the current Parliamentary session. Service families will welcome both the move and its prompt resolution.
Registrar General to establish Book of Scottish Connections – launched in Argyll
In an imaginative and forward-looking move launched as one of the initiatives of Homecoming Scotland 2009, the Registrar General is opening an online Register of births, marriages and deaths which Scots living abroad are being encouraged to use. The Book of Scottish Connections is designed to help to build and maintain links with the Scottish diaspora.
Enterprise Minister, Jim Mather MSP, says: ‘The Homecoming celebrations present the perfect opportunity to kindle pride in Scots at home and connect with the many millions of people overseas who are of Scottish descent or simply love Scotland.
‘The Book of Scottish Connections further develops the impressive on-line genealogical resources at the fingertips of Scots around the world. It will enable people living overseas to register key events in their lives so that they are recorded back home in Scotland and strengthen the ties that link us.
‘Launching the Book of Scottish Connections at the start of the Year of Homecoming is an excellent opportunity to reconnect with the Scottish Diaspora around the world and encourage them to visit their homeland’.
Duncan MacNiven, the Registrar General told the BBC: ‘The new Book of Scottish Connections will allow future family historians to find their foreign kin easier and so avoid a blind alley in their search for their ancestors. It is clear from our market research that there is plenty of interest in registering events in the book’.
Scots living abroad log on to the General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) to find out more about how to register in the book. Births which occur overseas can be recorded if one of the baby’s parents or grandparents was born in Scotland. Deaths, marriages and civil partnerships can also be recorded.
The first certificate from the Book has been presented to Lolita and David Lavery from Campbeltown, who married in South Africa. The Laverys will register another life event online in July when Lolita, who is originally from South Africa and who met David when she came to Kintre to research her family tree, is expecting triplets, is due to give birth then. They have established Kintyre’s only five star guest house at Dalnaspidal on the outskirts of Campbeltown.
The Book of Scottish Connections was launched on 5th February at Kilmartin House Museum in Argyll by Tourism Minister, Jim Mather MSP and Councillor Dick Walsh, Leader of Argyll and Bute Council. Mr Mather presented the Lavery’s with a bottle of Springbank malt whisky from Campbeltown and the first Certificate from the Book, linking Argyll to South Africa in thie year of homecoming.
This photograph on the left, taken at the launch and reproduced here with permission, shows, from left to right, Tourism Minister and Argyll’s MSP, Jim Mather, Paul Barr, Deputy Registrar General for Scotland, Lolita and David Lavery (with Lolita holding the first Certificate issued from the Book of Scottish Connections) and Councillor Dick Walsh, Leader of Argyll and Bute Council.