Accountability After Inquiry Recommendations: Improving our Patchwork of Scrutiny and Oversight

Event Details

This event is the launch and discussion of a new report 'Accountability After Inquiry Recommendations: Improving our Patchwork of Scrutiny and Oversight' from the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law.

Public inquiries are set up by a government minister in response to events that raise major public concern, such as the recent inquiries into the Covid-19 pandemic, Grenfell Tower fire, Manchester Arena bombing and the Infected Blood scandal. Many public inquiries will make recommendations as part of their process. Public inquiry recommendations can be important for addressing the harms an inquiry identifies and for preventing similar harms from occurring in future. They are the result of what is often a costly and lengthy process, which can also be traumatic especially for victims and their families. However, there is an 'implementation gap' between inquiry recommendations and their implementation in practice. When inquiry recommendations go unaddressed, it risks similar harms being repeated, and it risks undermining public trust and confidence in inquiries.

This problem is at the heart of this Bingham Centre research project, in which we examine whether implementation of inquiry recommendations can be more effectively monitored with the aim of providing greater accountability.

The report begins by considering the making of inquiry recommendations and how they are framed and developed. Next, it considers the process of responding to inquiry recommendations and the way in which progress about the implementation of inquiry recommendations is reported. Finally, the report examines the mechanisms currently used or proposed in the UK to monitor the implementation of public inquiry recommendations, including the role of inquiries, the role of Parliament, and proposals for a national oversight mechanism and possible use of the Australian model of implementation monitors.

The report highlights that, while there is momentum to introduce new mechanisms and to improve existing ones, there is currently no consensus about the most effective and appropriate forms of oversight and scrutiny.

This event is convened by Lucy Moxham  and Dr Jan van Zyl Smit. 

This project is funded by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust.

Chair:

Dr Jan van Zyl Smit,  Director, The Bingham Centre

Speakers

• Sir Brian Langstaff, former Chair of the Infected Blood Inquiry
• Deborah Coles, Executive Director INQUEST
• Dr Rebecca McKee, Associate Director Institute for Government

Pricing and Registration

This is a closed event, by invitation only. If you wish to attend, please contact Lucy Moxham (l.moxham@binghamcentre.biicl.org).