Inquiry costs
The Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry has been publishing its costs on a quarterly basis since March 2022.
Funding for the Inquiry is provided by the Scottish Government, but the Inquiry carries out its investigatory and reporting functions independently. The Chair of the Inquiry also has a legal duty to avoid any unnecessary cost.
| Period | Costs for period | Total to date |
|---|---|---|
| Start of Inquiry to 31 March 2022 | £0.4 million | £0.4 million |
| 1 April to 30 June 2022 | £0.5 million | £0.9 million |
| 1 July to 30 September 2022 | £1.1 million | £2 million |
| 1 October to 31 December 2022 | £1.3 million | £3.3 million |
| 1 January to 31 March 2023 | £2.7 million | £6 million |
| 1 April to 30 June 2023 | £1.8 million | £7.8 million |
| 1 July to 30 September 2023 | £1.1 million | £8.9 million |
| 1 October to 31 December 2023 | £3.9 million | £12.8 million |
| 1 January to 31 March 2024 | £7.3 million | £20.1 million |
| Final year-end adjustment to previous 23/24 quarters | £1.8 million | £21.9 million |
| 1 April to 30 June 2024 (breakdown of costs) | £4.2 million | £26.1 million |
| 1 July to 30 September 2024 (breakdown of costs) | £3.6 million | £29.7 million |
The Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry is Scotland’s biggest and most wide-ranging statutory public inquiry as it is investigating a pandemic that affected everyone and continues to affect many.
Like all other public inquiries, the Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry has been set up from scratch, which inevitably involves significant costs. These include staffing, procuring infrastructure such as IT systems, equipment and premises, witness expenses and payments towards core participants’ legal representation.
The awards made by the Inquiry in respect of core participants' legal representation and witness expenses are consistent with its obligations under the Inquiries Act 2005 and the Inquiry (Scotland) Rules 2007, and are in accordance with the relevant protocols published on the Inquiry website.
The Inquiry’s published costs comprise expenditure where invoices have been processed and may not necessarily represent total expenditure within the period stated. Quarterly figures in some areas of spend may be subject to final adjustment reflecting final settlement of invoices and payments. All figures in the above table have been rounded to the nearest hundred thousand.
The Inquiry’s final costs will be published at its close once all invoices have been received and settled.