Meeting of the Parliament 26 February 2026 [Draft]
I agree with Martin Whitfield on that. I note that the committee raises that point, too.
The figures are not abstract; they are equivalent to the annual budget of a small local authority or to the cost of the regional growth deals for a year. At a time of tight finances, we owe it to Scots to ask whether we are getting value for money. The Inquiries Act 2005 urges chairs
“to avoid any unnecessary cost”
but, without mandated budgets or timescales, overruns are inevitable.
One of the key points for me is that effectiveness is hard to measure. Recommendations are only as good as their implementation, yet there is no standard monitoring. There is a risk of sermonising without taking action. Trust in actions is key, and that is why the committee’s recommendations are so important. They call on the Scottish ministers to set defined timescales and fixed budgets for every inquiry from the outset. The Deputy First Minister talked about that as well. However, there will have to be some flexibility on that, because every inquiry is slightly different, so we cannot force timescales. Some inquiries will take as long as they take.
There are a couple of options that we can look at. We could amend the Inquiries (Scotland) Rules 2007 to make the proposals mandatory, with any extensions having to be justified before Parliament. Alternatively, we could collaborate with the UK Government in the longer term to embed the proposals in the 2005 act. It is about boosting transparency in decision making, supporting inquiry teams better and strengthening oversight, perhaps through the Finance and Public Administration Committee.
The Deputy First Minister has engaged with the committee and she mentioned coming back before to the Parliament on the matter before dissolution. It is about emphasising fiscal sustainability alongside justice. Alternatives such as non-statutory reviews can be quicker and cheaper for suitable cases, but where statutory powers are needed, let us make them efficient.
Public inquiries must deliver truth without bankrupting trust in our institutions. By adopting the proposed reforms, we can balance accountability with prudence and ensure that every single pound that is spent serves the people of Scotland. I urge members to support the motion and drive this change forward.