Lord Hardie details failures of Edinburgh tram inquiry

Lord Hardie made the remarks in a letter to Holyrood’s Finance Committee, ahead of his appearance today, in which he detailed the problems that plagued the inquiry from the outset. The investigation was announced in 2014 but did not publish its findings until 2023.

He said that although the inquiry was housed in extra premises of Creative Scotland, which “had the appearance of a modern office with adequate IT connections”, this impression proved “deceptive”. For nearly six months, staff endured IT systems that “frequently failed”, damaging morale and wasting “a considerable” amount of time and money.

Delays in assigning civil servants to the inquiry team also resulted in a “delay to the initial progress of the inquiry”, he said.

Lord Hardie stated: “The process of setting up the inquiry with accommodation, staff and other resources gave the impression of our reinventing the wheel.”

He added that there was “little or no guidance to assist with this stage of the inquiry”.

The final report, delivered nearly a decade later, found a “litany of avoidable failures” in the tram project. The inquiry ultimately cost £13.1 million, but Lord Hardie said that when the cost of staffing and accommodation already funded by the public sector was removed, the net cost was £8.7m.

He also criticised the decision to establish the investigation on a non-statutory basis, which left it without the power to compel evidence. This, he said, prevented him from accessing material held by the City of Edinburgh Council and meant key witnesses refused to co-operate.

A Scottish government spokesperson said: “We welcome the committee’s interest and look forward to hearing their views. Public inquiries are set up when no other avenue is deemed sufficient given the issues of public concern.”