Public Inquiries

That the Parliament notes what it sees as the importance of some public inquiries in addressing significant issues of public concern, as evidenced by the recent Grenfell Tower Inquiry; further notes, however, the reported expenditure of nearly £200 million on Scotland's current public inquiries, as well as some £13 million on the Edinburgh Trams Inquiry, which lasted around nine years; considers that such inquiries should be thorough, but should also be cost-effective and take place within a reasonable timeframe so that resources are not diverted away from frontline services, and further considers that a review of the processes governing public inquiries in Scotland should take place, and that consideration should be given to having a fixed timescale and a fixed budget for each public inquiry.