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Chamber and committees

Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 1 July 2025
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Displaying 1582 contributions

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Finance and Public Administration Committee [Draft]

Scottish Public Inquiries (Cost-effectiveness)

Meeting date: 17 June 2025

Michael Marra

That is a fair point, but certainly not two ferries. The—

Finance and Public Administration Committee [Draft]

Scottish Public Inquiries (Cost-effectiveness)

Meeting date: 17 June 2025

Michael Marra

Thank you, both, for your very compelling and full evidence. Mr Sturrock, on the time-cost effectiveness balance, I want to draw you more on the cost, which various members have touched on and which is part of the basis of the committee’s inquiry. I think that the bill for public inquiries is now running at more than £230 million. As people who have participated in such inquiries, do you both recognise that the costs are out of control?

Finance and Public Administration Committee [Draft]

Scottish Public Inquiries (Cost-effectiveness)

Meeting date: 17 June 2025

Michael Marra

Convener, I was remiss in not putting on the record my involvement, on behalf of constituents, in the Eljamel inquiry.

Finance and Public Administration Committee [Draft]

Scottish Public Inquiries (Cost-effectiveness)

Meeting date: 17 June 2025

Michael Marra

My final question is about your submission, Mr Campbell, in which you wrote:

“Rapidity in delivering findings is important. Interim reports are often useful, in a long and complicated matter.”

Are interim reports underused?

Finance and Public Administration Committee [Draft]

Scottish Public Inquiries (Cost-effectiveness)

Meeting date: 17 June 2025

Michael Marra

Do we not see enough of them, given the length of inquiries?

Finance and Public Administration Committee [Draft]

Scottish Public Inquiries (Cost-effectiveness)

Meeting date: 17 June 2025

Michael Marra

You obviously have not seen the Parliamentary timetable for the next two weeks.

Finance and Public Administration Committee [Draft]

Scottish Public Inquiries (Cost-effectiveness)

Meeting date: 17 June 2025

Michael Marra

That is very valuable.

I will ask you about time. I think that it is fair to say that, in his evidence, Lord Hardie offered some level of regret. It was nine years for the tram inquiry, and he said that he would much rather have spent that time with his grandchildren. Is such a system sustainable? Mr Campbell, you said that people who have worked on inquiries for years are on their knees. There is a single figure at the top, which I think you are both advocating for. That person is responsible and an advocate for the inquiry and gives a huge part of their life to it. It feels that there is almost a single point of failure there. Other members have touched on the issue of the pool of people from which we are choosing chairs of inquiries. For some people, it must feel like something that they just do not want to be involved in. Is that fair?

Finance and Public Administration Committee [Draft]

Scottish Public Inquiries (Cost-effectiveness)

Meeting date: 17 June 2025

Michael Marra

You are both men of great experience in this area—I am not making a comment on age—hence why you are sitting in front of us. If somebody came to you today and asked you to lead a public inquiry, would you decide that that was a possibility for you?

Finance and Public Administration Committee [Draft]

Scottish Fiscal Commission (Economic and Fiscal Forecasts)

Meeting date: 10 June 2025

Michael Marra

You mentioned tomorrow’s UK spending review. What discussions have you had with the Government about a Scottish spending review?

Finance and Public Administration Committee [Draft]

Scottish Fiscal Commission (Economic and Fiscal Forecasts)

Meeting date: 10 June 2025

Michael Marra

Do you think that there should be a Scottish spending review? Would it be prudent to have a Scottish spending review?