While it is not possible to answer every question about the Inquiry the following information should offer guidance.
What is the purpose / scope of the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry?
The Edinburgh Tram Inquiry aims to establish why the Edinburgh Trams project incurred delays, cost more than originally budgeted and through reductions in scope delivered significantly less than projected.
The Edinburgh Tram Inquiry is working to the following Terms of Reference:
- Inquire into the delivery of the Edinburgh Trams project (‘the project’), from proposals for the project emerging to its completion, including the procurement and contract preparation, its governance, project management and delivery structures, and oversight of the relevant contracts, in order to establish why the project incurred delays, cost considerably more than originally budgeted for and delivered significantly less than was projected through reductions in scope.
- Examine the consequences of the failure to deliver the project in the time, within the budget and to the extent projected.
- Review the circumstances surrounding the project as necessary, in order to report to the Scottish Ministers making recommendations as to how major tram and light rail infrastructure projects of a similar nature might avoid such failures in future.
Who asked for this Inquiry to be held?
The Inquiry was commissioned by Scottish Ministers and announced by (then) First Minister Alex Salmond in June 2014.
Who is leading the Inquiry?
The Rt Honourable The Lord Hardie is Chair of the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry. His appointment was announced in June 2014 by (then) First Minister Alex Salmond.
Lord Hardie is being supported in his work by the Inquiry Team.
What is the difference between a witness and a core participant?
Witness – people who have information relevant to the Inquiry, which the Inquiry propose to take from them, either in written form, or orally, or both. Apart from giving evidence, the witness will not generally take any part in the Inquiry.
Core Participant – a person or organisation who will be expected to have a key role during the Inquiry on the basis of their involvement in the subject matter of it. A Core Participant may attend all sessions of the Inquiry or substantial parts of it, either personally or by their recognised legal representatives.
The core participants (and their legal representatives) are: Bilfinger Construction UK Limited; *Carillion Utility Services Limited; City of Edinburgh Council; DLA Piper Scotland LLP; Parsons Brinkerhoff Limited; Scottish Ministers; Siemens PLC; Richard Jeffrey; David Mackay; Steven Bell; Francis McFadden; Susan Clark; Mark Hamill and Tom Hickman.
* Carillion ceased to be a core participant on 5th April 2018
What is the schedule of events for the Inquiry?
The Inquiry is split into a number of stages.
When and how will the public be able to submit evidence?
A formal call for written evidence from the public was issued on 12 May 2015 and was closed on 4 August 2015.
What issues will the Inquiry cover?
The public had a chance to consider the draft list of issues published on 12 May 2015 and say if there were other issues which they thought the Inquiry should consider. The online survey developed to collect these ideas was closed on 4 August 2015 and an Analysis of Responses (updated August 2018) is now available. An updated list of issues being investigated by the Inquiry was published on 6 October 2015.
How many documents are being reviewed?
The Inquiry has obtained around 6 million electronic documents, which are being filtered, reviewed and assessed by the team, using the eDiscovery tool, Relativity.
When and where will the Public Hearing take place?
The Public Hearing will take place in the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry Hearing Room at Waverly Gate (1st Floor), 2-4 Waterloo Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3EG on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday each week from Tuesday 5 September 2017. A Guidance Note with further information can be found on our Procedures and Guidance page.
When will its findings be made public?
The Inquiry, chaired by Lord Hardie, will be carried out efficiently and in a thorough manner.
There are a number of stages to the actual Inquiry. Currently, the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry is working on stage 10, reviewing all the evidence submitted and information obtained, in order to produce a final report and recommendations.
The findings of the Inquiry and the subsequent report will be made available at the earliest opportunity. Information will be made available on this website.
In what format will the Inquiry findings be produced?
Lord Hardie is expected to produce a written report in accordance with the Terms of reference.
At the appropriate time, Lord Hardie will make his report and findings available here.
Is this the website for accessing information about the Edinburgh Trams?
No. This website is only for information about the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry. For general information about the Edinburgh Trams, including timetabling and fares, please visit http://edinburghtrams.com/
For press enquiries about the Edinburgh Trams please email trammedia@edinburghtrams.com or telephone 0131 475 0213.