Fatal accident inquiries were introduced into Scots Law by the Fatal Accidents Inquiry (Scotland) Act 1895, before which time the circumstances of a death which required examination were determined by a procurator fiscal. Since then, the procurator fiscal now deals with the investigation and initiation of such inquiries. The applicable legislation is the Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths Inquiry (Scotland) Act 1976 and Inquiries into Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths etc. (Scotland) Act 2016, and the law provides for inquiries to be held on a mandatory basis for some deaths and on a discretionary basis for others.