Holyrood Committee to consider the cost effectiveness of public inquiries

The Scottish Parliament's Finance and Public Administration Committee is to examine the cost-effectiveness of public inquiries in Scotland. Its investigation will consider how and why public inquiries are established; whether they deliver value for money and the extent to which spending controls are necessary; and whether alternatives could be used.

The Committee launched a call for views on 4 April 2025 with a closing date for submissions of Friday 9 May 2025.

Background to the Inquiry

Statutory "public Inquiries" under the Inquiries Act 2005 are established by Government to respond to events of major public concern or to consider controversial public policy issues. The purpose of all inquiries is to establish the facts, find out what happened, why it happened, who may be accountable, and to try and learn lessons and make recommendations for future improvements.

Last year, it was reported that Scotland's ongoing public inquiries had involved costs of over £170 million.

Two further inquiries have since been announced. The Eljamel Inquiry will examine events relating to a neurosurgeon at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee and the other which will review the investigation into the 2005 murder of Emma Caldwell.

The Finance and Public Administration Committee has made clear that it will not be looking at the merits of individual Scottish Government decisions on whether to hold a specific public inquiry, or recommendations made by those inquiries.

Requests for evidence

The Committee has asked seven questions in the call for views:

1. How effective is the current model of public inquiries in Scotland, and to what extent does it deliver value for money?
2. Is there sufficient transparency around the purpose, remits (including any extensions), timescales, costs and effectiveness of public inquiries and what, if any, improvements are required?
3. Are the current legislative framework and decision-making processes for establishing public inquiries adequate, and what, if any improvements are required?
4. Are the processes for setting and monitoring costs for public inquiries adequate? What measures should be put in place at the establishment of a public inquiry to ensure value for money and prevent time and cost overruns?
5. What is the best way to ensure cost effectiveness of public inquiries while maintaining their independence?
6. What, if any, measures should be put in place to ensure recommendations made by public inquiries are implemented in a timely way?
7. What alternatives to the current model of public inquiries should be considered when particular events, have, or could cause, public concern? Are there examples of good practice from other countries that Scotland could learn from?

Timetable

The call for views is open until 9 May 2025. Stakeholders and individuals are encouraged to participate by submitting their views on Citizen Space via the Committee's website. Oral evidence sessions will then begin in Mid to late May with oral evidence from the Scottish Government in late June. The final report is scheduled to be published in September.

If you would like assistance with responding to the call for views, or for more information, please contact Christine O' Neill KC, Han Sladen, or your usual Brodies contact.