Tram Inquiry costs: FOI release

FOI reference: FOI/17/02415
Date received: 18 October 2017
Date responded: 16 November 2017

Information requested

Your request:

1. Can you advise whether the Tram Inquiry Team are paid on a daily or yearly rate?
2. Is there an estimate of how long the Inquiry will take to complete?
3. If the financial information is held within the Inquiry itself. Does that mean the Scottish Government does not know who gets paid what and whether they are paid on a day rate?
4. Does the SG just give a lump sum to the Inquiry to be spent as they see fit?
5. I wonder whether you would be kind enough to let me know the latest total cost of the Inquiry to date?
6. I don't understand how the legal budget has been estimated if not worked out by the number of solicitors/QCs working for x hours at a rate of £y/hour. Perhaps you can clarify this for me?

Response

1. The members of the Tram Inquiry Team who are permanent Scottish Government employees are paid on a yearly rate. However the Inquiry Team also utilises externally contracted resources, with payment rates as per the terms of those contracts.

2. The estimated time the Inquiry will take to complete will be determined by the progress with and the findings of the hearings which are now progressing.

3. I refer you to the answer to 1) above.

4. The SG pays expenditure on behalf of the Inquiry as it falls due. The budget for the Inquiry is set on an annual basis in line with the SG budgeting process.

5. The cost of the Inquiry to date is £7.2m.

6. The legal budget has been determined by the Inquiry. We do not have details of the basis of its calculation.

While our aim is to provide you with information whenever possible, in this instance Transport Scotland does not have all of the information you have requested. However, you may wish to contact the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry directly at Tram inquiry team as they may be able to help you further.

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