ETI-1
Response
Accepted in Part
Public Inquiry Efficiency
Recommendation
Scottish Ministers should review public inquiries to find cost-effective methods of avoiding establishment delays, potentially creating a dedicated unit within the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service and publishing updated guidance.
Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
- In November 2023, the Scottish Government stated that guidance on efficient public inquiry establishment was "already in development" and had been shared with recent inquiries (Transport Secretary Statement on Edinburgh Tram Inquiry Report, Scottish Government, 2 November 2023).
- In November 2025, the Scottish Government published "Public inquiries: guidance for Ministers and officials", providing guidance on whether an inquiry should be established, covering statutory and non-statutory options, independence requirements, cost and timing considerations, powers available, interaction with parallel investigations, ECHR obligations, and alternative mechanisms (Public inquiries: guidance for Ministers and officials, Scottish Government, 24 November 2025).
- In November 2025, the Scottish Government published "Public inquiries: guidance for Ministers and officials", providing guidance on whether an inquiry should be established, covering statutory and non-statutory options, independence requirements, cost and timing considerations, powers available, interaction with parallel investigations, ECHR obligations, and alternative mechanisms (Public inquiries: guidance for Ministers and officials, Scottish Government, 24 November 2025).
How was this evidence gathered?
Evidence searched by Claude (Anthropic) on 10 Apr 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
Jurisdiction
Scotland
Response
Accepted in Part
Response
Accepted in Part
Accepted in Part
Scottish Government
02 Nov 2023
The Scottish Government stated that guidance similar to that suggested is already in development for the efficient establishment of inquiries and has been shared with recent inquiries. Source: Transport Secretary Statement, 2 November 2023.
Progress Timeline
Official Report
02 Nov 2023
Initial status based on Scottish Government and City of Edinburgh Council responses to the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry Report (September 2023).
Responsible Bodies
Scottish Government
Primary
Themes & Tags
Recommendation age
2.8 yrs
Last formal update
941 days ago