Nicola Sturgeon is under pressure to sort out a crippling dispute that is stopping thousands of families finding out how their loved ones died.
The First Minister was quizzed by three MSPs about a backlog in toxicology cases, which could delay the next round of drug death figures.
Labour MSP Monica Lennon blasted: “It has escalated into a national disgrace.”
Nearly 2000 families have been let down by delays to post-mortem reports into the deaths of their relatives, with some waiting nine months.
The backlog has been caused by a dispute between the Crown Office and Glasgow University, the latter of which provides the forensic toxicology service needed to complete post-mortems.
At First Minister's Questions, SNP MSP Sandra White flagged up the “pain and frustration” of those families who have had to endure waits and asked what action was being taken.
Sturgeon said a contract extension had been agreed and pointed to the Crown Office providing £300,000 extra funding.
White was followed by Tory MSP Murdo Fraser, who raised a case of a constituent who lost a family member in October, but had still not received answers three months later.
Fraser described it as a “highly distressing situation for already grieving parents” and asked when a resolution would be found.
Sturgeon replied by saying she would ask the Crown Office to look into the case, adding: “I want the chamber to understand how seriously I think of this situation and how important and urgent it is that the backlog is dealt with.”
After Lennon claimed to have received “false assurances” and said the problem had been given a “low priority”, Sturgeon responded: “This has my full attention.”
On claims the row could also delay the drug death statistics, she said “no decision” had been taken on the publication date slipping.
