A lawyer acting for the bereaved families in the Clutha bar helicopter disaster has condemned the Scottish Government and the country’s top legal official, the Lord Advocate, for failing to stand up to big business and reform the investigation of fatal accidents.

Patrick McGuire, a partner in Thompsons Solicitors, which acts for several of the Clutha families and also for trade unions, told the Sunday Herald that “real, progressive change [in fatal accident inquiry procedure] was not a priority for the Government”. He added that it wanted to be “all things to all people” and “didn’t do much to oppose big business and the big insurance companies”.

“It clearly doesn’t have the appetite for the fight,” McGuire said.

His criticism came in the wake of the shock resignation of the prosecutor in charge of the Clutha inquiry, Tim Niven-Smith, which had been pencilled in for an as-yet-unknown date in the autumn, almost five years after the Eurocopter helicopter plunged into the Glasgow bar killing nine people in November 2013.

Fatal accidents are investigated by police, reports are submitted to the relevant procurator fiscal’s department and a recommendation for a fatal accident inquiry (FAI), or not, is sent to the Crown Office for a decision.

Our sister publication, The Sunday Herald, asked the Crown Office how many inquiries were outstanding and how this compared with five years ago, and was told that “we wouldn’t have information here about the numbers”.

A spokesman for the Crown Office said: “COPFS appreciates the impact lengthy investigations can have on those involved and we are committed to resolving them as soon as we can and keeping the families informed of significant developments. Our priority must be to carry out a full and thorough investigation and, in complex cases, this takes time.

“In relation to the Clutha helicopter crash, the investigation by the police, with officers working closely with our helicopter team, has been necessarily wide-ranging.

“It has involved the collection and consideration of a significant volume of documentation, including highly technical manuals and guidance, as well as the taking of detailed statements from witnesses, including professionals in the aviation industry.

“Some of that material and information has been ingathered from organisations based abroad. In an investigation such as this, the police and the Crown require to rely on the co-operation of companies and organisations in relation to, for example, provision of material and availability of witnesses for interview.”