ETI-12 Response Accepted

Record Keeping Requirements

Recommendation

For transparency, Scottish Ministers should maintain minutes documenting: discussions and decisions between Ministers and civil servants regarding publicly-funded project involvement; discussions with local authorities and contractors; and negotiations, including mediation discussions.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
- In November 2023, the Scottish Government stated that "robust and enhanced procedures regarding minute-taking and documentation management have also been embedded within the Government and the Civil Service" (Transport Secretary Statement on Edinburgh Tram Inquiry Report, Scottish Government, 2 November 2023).
- No independently published assessment of whether the enhanced documentation procedures are operating effectively in relation to publicly funded major projects has been identified to March 2026.
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
Accepted Scottish Government
02 Nov 2023

Transport Secretary's Statement to Scottish Parliament, 2 November 2023: "Robust and enhanced procedures regarding minute-taking and documentation management have also been embedded within the Government and the Civil Service for a long time. The Permanent Secretary recently appeared at the Finance and Public Administration Committee and reiterated this commitment to ensuring robust systems and processes are in place to record and manage this critical information."

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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).

Source
Report Edinburgh Tram Inquiry Report 12 Sep 2023
Responsible Bodies
Scottish Government Primary
Recommendation age 2.9 yrs
Last formal update 1000 days ago