Public Inquiries: Costs
(asked on 17th September 2026) - View Source
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the costs are of the (1) Hamill Inquiry, and (2) Letby Inquiry.
The Robert Hamill Inquiry opened in 2005. The previous chair of the Inquiry reported that the Terms of Reference were fulfilled in 2011. However, due to legal proceedings, the Inquiry report was only published on 14 September 2026. The total amount paid for inquiry expenses since its establishment, including expenditure since 2011, will be published by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, as required by Section 39 of the Inquiries Act 2005. This is scheduled for publication in 2027, following the completion of standard reconciliation and auditing procedures.
The Thirlwall Inquiry is independent of Government, and the Chair is responsible for the financial costs of the Inquiry. The Inquiry publishes its financial spend on its website and the most recent report for financial spend in 25/26 is available online at: https://thirlwall.public-inquiry.uk/document/fy25-26-financial-report-for-the-thirlwall-inquiry/, copied below for ease:
1. Overview
This report sets out expenditure for the Thirlwall Inquiry from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, the full financial year. FY 2023-2024 (covering 4 September to 31 March 2024) and FY 2024-2025 (covering 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025) is presented alongside. Since the last financial report ending 30 September 2025, the Inquiry has continued in the report writing stage, preparing for report publication. The total expenditure for the full financial year of FY 2025-2026 is £2,651k, with the breakdown given in the table below:
| FY 2023-2024 £ 000 | FY 2024-2025 £ 000 | FY 2025-2026 £ 000 |
Salaries and related expenses | 301 | 1,201 | 1,226 |
Secretariat team | 168 | 749 | 752 |
Chair | 133 | 452 | 474 |
Legal costs | 2,356 | 8,634 | 1,028 |
Counsel to the Inquiry team | 742 | 1,983 | 405 |
Solicitor to the Inquiry team (incl paralegals) | 1,397 | 3,762 | 619 |
Family legal fees (Core Participants) | 216 | 2,877 | 4 |
Legal fees of non-Core Participants | - | 12 | - |
Experts and analysis (questionnaire and | - | 211 | - |
Emotional support | 27 | 194 | 13 |
IT (incl. evidence disclosure platform, info. management system, website costs) | 133 | 601 | 205 |
Media services and media monitoring | 16 | 226 | 10 |
Office accommodation | - | 153 | 148 |
Hearings | - | 1,863 | - |
Hearings venue | - | 245 | - |
Hearings AV | - | 1,274 | - |
Hearings other expenses | - | 344 | - |
Publication costs | - | - | 16 |
Administration and other expenses (incl travel) | 2 | 15 | 5 |
Total | 2,834 | 13,098 | 2,651 |
Note: These figures are rounded to nearest £000 and exclude VAT.
2. Notes on financial figures
Every attempt has been made to ensure the figures presented are accurate as of 28 July 2026. However, these figures have not been compiled by accountants and are intended to give an overview of the level of expenditure over the Inquiry's work. The amounts are not intended to be equivalent of company accounts. The costs reflect spend incurred in the year and are based on supplier invoices and information rather than on a cash basis.
The Inquiry publishes its financial reports half yearly.