The Scottish Government has been urged to back a bid to reform the law covering compensation for wrongful deaths on the road or at work.
Labour MSP Bill Butler plans to bring forward a member's Bill to update legislation for such cases - which can include deaths at the workplace or in car accidents.
It comes after the Scottish Law Commission made a number of recommendations aimed at reforming the law in this area.
Mr Butler said on on Monday that the changes needed to be implemented "urgently".
The Glasgow Anniesland MSP said: "I want to provide justice and dignity for victims and their loved ones. The current system can be improved so that it provides a fair level of compensation in cases of wrongful death without the need for unnecessarily long and distressing court cases.
"Labour has always put the needs of victims first and these sensible proposals, which have been drawn up by the Scottish Law Commission, need to be implemented urgently."
Mr Butler said he would be approaching Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill, seeking Government support for the changes. He added: "We should all be able to agree about making the law fairer."
The changes being put forward could remove the need to go to court in some cases where liability has been admitted, allowing victims' relatives to be compensated more quickly.
They could also speed up claims for damages for wrongful death by avoiding debate about the level of living expenses and guarantee a fair, standard level of compensation for loss of earnings.
And they would modernise the law after the Scottish Law Commission claimed there were "some areas where the current law no longer reflects the realities, in particular the economic realities, of contemporary family structures in Scotland".
Professor Joe Thomson of the Scottish Law Commission said: "This Bill clarifies, simplifies and modernises the law of damages for wrongful death."
Last updated: 13 April 2009, 12:44
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