Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 26 February 2026 [Draft]
26 Feb 2026 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Cost-effectiveness of Scottish Public Inquiries
I begin by thanking the committee for its detailed scrutiny of this important issue and for the considered set of conclusions and recommendations that it delivered in its report. There is a lot in the report that the Scottish Government agrees with, and I hope that, in the course of today’s debate, all parties across the chamber will be able to find common ground on how to improve the cost effectiveness of the public inquiry system in Scotland.
I hear what the convener says about the areas where he is disappointed that more recommendations have not been accepted or have been only partially accepted. I will address aspects of those in my comments, but I want to set out that there is a much longer-term opportunity to implement some of those recommendations, particularly in the light of the fact that there will be a new parliamentary session and, indeed, a new Government after the election—albeit, I hope, a Parliament with the same representatives.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Liam McArthur)
LD
The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-20893, in the name of Kenneth Gibson, on behalf of the Finance and Public Administration Committee, on th...
Kenneth Gibson (Cunninghame North) (SNP)
SNP
I thank you, Presiding Officer, and members of the Conveners Group, for helping to enable this debate to take place.I am delighted to open the debate on beha...
John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind)
Ind
The member suggested that we should be learning lessons, but if an inquiry such as the Edinburgh trams inquiry takes nine years, it is too late for those les...
Kenneth Gibson
SNP
John Mason makes an important point. That is one of the reasons why we are looking to have public inquiries on shorter timescales and with defined budgets. A...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Liam McArthur)
LD
I call Kate Forbes, the Deputy First Minister. You have a generous seven minutes.14:34
The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic (Kate Forbes)
SNP
I begin by thanking the committee for its detailed scrutiny of this important issue and for the considered set of conclusions and recommendations that it del...
Michael Marra (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
It would be interesting for the committee to know where the report was considered. Did the Cabinet discuss the strategic impact of public inquiries on public...
Kate Forbes
SNP
Generally, when a committee writes to a cabinet secretary, the cabinet secretary takes responsibility for the response. It will be carefully considered by of...
Liz Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
I understand what the Deputy First Minister is saying, but Mr Marra has asked an important question. If there is to be radical change, as the committee has s...
Kate Forbes
SNP
It is a general, long-standing protocol that ministers should not disclose their conversations at Cabinet, so I am trying to recognise that. I can reassure m...
Craig Hoy (South Scotland) (Con)
Con
I cannot wait. Laughter.
Kate Forbes
SNP
I was going to say at the outset, before the interventions, that I want to put on record that my written response to the committee and my contribution today ...
John Mason
Ind
Will the Deputy First Minister give way?
Kate Forbes
SNP
I will, because I love a good debate.
John Mason
Ind
The Deputy First Minister says that she does not want to interfere in existing public inquiries—which is fair enough—but we started a new one yesterday, and ...
Kate Forbes
SNP
I think that Jenny Gilruth might have alluded to this yesterday—if she did not, I hope that this is not breaking news—but we want to ensure that any new inqu...
Michelle Thomson (Falkirk East) (SNP)
SNP
Made a request to intervene.
Kate Forbes
SNP
Why not? I will give way to Michelle Thomson.
Michelle Thomson
SNP
I think that I just beat Craig Hoy to it in making an intervention. John Mason has made a valid comment. In addition to having a tightly drawn scope, which I...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Liam McArthur)
LD
Deputy First Minister, I can give you the time back.
Kate Forbes
SNP
I have some sympathy with the point about maximum transparency in the publication of costs. There will be some areas that are more sensitive than others in t...
Craig Hoy
Con
The minister had moved on from it slightly, but I will go back to the issue of costs, and specifically to the case that we heard about from the Scottish Poli...
Kate Forbes
SNP
Those issues certainly need to be taken into account in the annual budget debates, and there should also be a recognition of the costs that the police face. ...
Kenneth Gibson
SNP
Will the minister take an intervention?
Kate Forbes
SNP
I hate to let the convener down, but I probably need to make some progress. I will do that first, and then if the Presiding Officer is feeling generous—
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Liam McArthur)
LD
I reassure you, Deputy First Minister, that we have adequate time in hand, so you can take another intervention, if you are so minded.
Kate Forbes
SNP
In that case, I would love to take another intervention from the convener.
Kenneth Gibson
SNP
My understanding is that, for some three years, the English inquiry has been focused for on completing its findings and that it has a £65 million budget. It ...
Kate Forbes
SNP
I will come to the committee’s recommendations, because I am aware of the committee’s call on that time-limited aspect. There are good examples that demonstr...
Kenneth Gibson
SNP
I thank the minister for taking a record number of interventions, but one of the points that the committee has made is that the Government can set an initial...