All costs relating to Edinburgh trams since 2014: FOI release

FOI reference: FOI/17/01982
Date received: 29 August 2017
Date responded: 14 September 2017

Information requested

A full breakdown of all costs relating to the trams inquiry since it was set up. Please break this down by category and financial year, as follows:

• Staff costs
• Accommodation costs
• Legal fees
• IT costs
• Other

Please also provide details of all costs relating to the Chair of the inquiry, Lord Hardie, to date, and please provide details of how much he will be paid in future.

Response

I refer to your request under the Freedom of Information Act for information in relation to the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry. The expenditure since the Inquiry was set up broken down by category and financial year is as follows :

	2014-15 £000's	2015-16 £000's	2016-17 £000's	2017-18 £000's	Total £000's
Staff costs	385	1,212	1,332	418	3,347
Accommodation	173	333	326	59	891
Professional fees	127	573	721	262	1,683
IT	184	343	237	70	834
Miscellaneous	30	96	63	17	206
Total	899	2,557	2,679	826	6,961

We are not able to provide details of amounts paid to Lord Hardie under the Data Protection Act.

The figures represent expenditure incurred to the end of the last reporting period in the current financial year. Staff costs mainly relate to salaries for staff already employed by the Scottish Government. IT and other office equipment and furniture will be absorbed back into Scottish Government at the end of the Inquiry and the accommodation used by the Inquiry is the subject of a longer term lease in favour of Scottish Ministers and on conclusion of the Inquiry will be used by them for some other purpose until the expiry of the lease. Legal fees are included in the heading of Professional fees.

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