OUT OF CONTROL
Inquiry into the Edinburgh tram project soars to more than £6.5m
The Scottish Government have revealed the inquiry into the controversial Edinburgh tram project has spiralled to at least £6.5million.
Then First Minister Alex Salmond promised the probe would be “swift and thorough” when he set up Lord Hardie’s investigation in June 2014.
The inquiry was originally estimated to cost no more than £1million.
But not a single witness has been called yet and the latest figures obtained by the Sunday Mail predict the budget will be £ 6.5million by the end of next year.
And the final total is expected be much greater – with Lord Hardie not due to finish his report until 2018 at the earliest.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The total budget for the tram inquiry to the end of 2016-17 is £ 6.5million, including £2.5million for 2016-17.
“The budget for 2017-18 has not been determined but we would expect that it would conclude in that year.”
There are now fears the cost of the inquiry could exceed the much-criticised £10.2 mil lion Chil cot Inquiry into Iraq.
Sir John Chilcot’s sevenyear investigation into Tony Blair’s invasion of Iraq analysed 150,000 documents. But Lord Hardie’s 25-strong inquiry team have revealed six million documents have already been gathered that need to be sifted through and analysed.
Scottish Conservative MSP Miles Briggs said: “This is clearly in danger of becoming more expensive than the farcical Chilcot Inquiry.
“The costs of this inquiry were already spiralling but this now suggests they are totally out of control.
“I’m afraid that many residents in Edinburgh are beginning to lose confidence that the inquiry
This is clearly in danger of becoming more expensive than the farcical Chilcot Inquiry
is going to get to the bottom of what went wrong with the tram project.”
Labour’s Edinburgh South MP Ian Murray said: “This is very concerning. They haven’t called any witnesses yet – it just seems dreadfully slow.
“The tax- paying public deserve answers – even an interim report pretty swiftly so we can see where the inquiry seems to be going.
“I don’t think there will be much sympathy from the public if this runs into tens of millions of pounds and we don’t see anything for years and years. It absolutely
shouldn’t cost more than the Chilcot Inquiry. If it exceeds that, it would be disastrous.
“The tram project has cost enough without throwing another £10million into it.”
The Edinburgh tram project cost £776million – more than double the original estimate – and was three years behind schedule when it was completed in 2014.
The furore over soaring costs saw the original route significantly cut.
It was supposed to travel from Edinburgh Airport to Gra nton a nd Oc ea n Terminal but was forced to stop at York Place in the city centre instead.
The Scottish Government agreed to fund the costs of Lord Hardie’s inquiry.
Figures released in July put the cost of the inquiry at £ 3.7million – with £502,000 being splashed out on accommodation and a further £128,000 earmarked for “miscellaneous costs”.
The Scottish Government defended their new admission that the official probe will exceed £ 6.5million.
A spokesman said: “We’ve been clear from the outset that the inquiry should be efficient and cost effective. However, we know that major infrastructure projects do generate large quantities of documentation and we understand the inquiry team have already gathered more than six million documents.
“Lord Hardie and his team are firmly committed to discerning the facts in a robust and thorough manner in order to ensure the final report is fair, balanced and offers clear recommendations for planning and construction of future projects.”
The spokesman added: “The Scottish Government did not back the Edinburgh tram project but Parliament voted in favour of pressing ahead in June 2007.
“Following the vote, we stated we would not provide additional funding beyond the £500million committed by MSPs.
“In relation to future payments, Transport Scotland have agreed to continue to fund the costs of the tram inquiry until it is completed.
“This will be dependent on the progress of the hearings as well as the remaining duration of the inquiry.”
A spokesperson for the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry says Lord Hardie refuses to be pinned down to the 2018 completion date.
They said: “Lord Hardie’s remit is to conduct a robust inquiry and it will take as long as is necessary to get the answers the public want in relation to the issues surrounding the Edinburgh tram project.
“To date, substantial progress has been made, including identifying, retrieving and reviewing more than six million documents and the ongoing gathering of statements from witnesses of interest.
“In August, the inquiry team began the process of interviewing members of the public affected by the tram project. In addition, efforts have been made to contact City of Edinburgh councillors who were elected and have served across the period of the Edinburgh tram project.
“Lord Hardie and his team are determined to conduct a thorough and wide-ranging investigation into the reasons behind the Edinburgh tram delays and cost escalations to ensure lessons are learned for future major projects.”