Staffing Guidance
Edinburgh Tram Inquiry · Edinburgh Tram Inquiry Report · Issued 1 August 2023 · Addressed to: Scottish Government
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation, Chapter 2 Recommendation 3 (paragraph 2.101)
The guidance mentioned in the first recommendation should include: advice concerning the circumstances in which civil servants in the inquiry team may properly transfer to posts, other than promoted posts, within other government departments or agencies; which positions within the administration of a public inquiry may be filled by the employment of agency staff; and whether longer-term contracts as temporary civil servants are more appropriate for particular positions that cannot be filled by permanent civil servants.
Edinburgh Tram Inquiry, Edinburgh Tram Inquiry Report · 1 Aug 2023 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
Publicly available evidence relating to this recommendation:
- In November 2025, the Scottish Government published "Public inquiries: guidance for Ministers and officials", which covers staffing and resourcing considerations for inquiries (Public inquiries: guidance for Ministers and officials, Scottish Government, 24 November 2025).
- No published guidance specifically addressing circumstances for civil servant transfers, which positions may use agency staff, and suitability of temporary contracts has been identified separately from the general inquiry guidance to March 2026.
How was this evidence gathered?
Response — verbatim from government
●Scottish Government
The Scottish Government stated that guidance similar to that suggested is already in development. Source: Transport Secretary Statement, 2 November 2023.
Scottish Government · 2 Nov 2023 Written response →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
- 2 Nov 2023 Initial status based on Scottish Government and City of Edinburgh Council responses to the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry Report (September 2023). Source →
Each entry above links to a primary source — gov.uk written statement, consultation response document, or inspection report. The Index does not characterise government intent; it tracks what has been published.
How this page is built
Source and Response are verbatim from primary documents. The Evidence trail records published activity since — written statements, consultation outcomes, inspection findings, parliamentary references. The Index does not paraphrase or characterise intent; it tracks what has been published. Where the evidence is the absence of action (a missed deadline, a slipped timetable), that absence is documented from primary sources rather than inferred.
This recommendation's data is verified periodically against primary sources. The Index is monitored for staleness weekly.