Inquiry costs
The Chair to the Inquiry has a legal duty to avoid unnecessary cost and the Inquiry has been publishing its costs quarterly to remain open and transparent:
| Period | Costs for period | Total to date |
|---|---|---|
| Start of Inquiry to 31 March 2022 | £422,000 | £422,000 |
| 1 April to 30 June 2022 | £521,000 | £943,000 |
| 1 July to 30 September 2022 | £1,092,000 | £2,035,000 |
| 1 October to 31 December 2022 | £1,291,000 | £3,326,000 |
| 1 January to 31 March 2023 | £2,729,000 | £6,055,000 |
| 1 April to 30 June 2023 | £1,754,000 | £7,809,000 |
Funding for the Inquiry is provided by the Scottish Government, but the Inquiry carries out its investigatory and reporting functions independently.
Like all other public inquiries, the Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry has had to be set up from scratch, which inevitably carries significant costs.
The costs involved with establishing and running an inquiry include staffing, procuring infrastructure such as IT systems, equipment, premises, and resourcing the legal team.
Future expenses will include funding awards to cover participant's legal expenses and witness costs. For more information on costs please see our protocol on applying for legal expenses.