Expensive, timely and sometimes ineffective, public inquiries often fail to see their recommendations implemented by the governments that accept them, according to a parliamentary report.

“This is inexcusable, as it risks the recurrence of a disaster and undermines the whole purpose of holding an inquiry in the first place,” the report said as it recommended setting up an independent parliamentary committee to oversee public inquiry processes and outcomes. It also advocated that more use be made of non-statutory inquiries.

Improvements

In addition, the committee recommended tightening up the process over decisions whether to launch a public inquiry and its composition, scope and remit. Since ministers have sole responsibility for such tasks, they sometimes fail to implement effective terms and conditions.

“We heard that inquiries are wasting time and money by ‘reinventing the wheel’ or repeating easily avoidable mistakes, and often fail to properly involve victims and survivors in the inquiry process,” the report said.

That was why it recommended sharing best practice in these areas, expanding the remit of the Cabinet Office’s Inquiries Unit, and improving statutory and governance processes.

Monitoring implementation

As well as having no timescale within which a government must accept or reject an inquiry’s recommendations, monitoring how well accepted recommendations were implemented is often weak or absent.

“You see the same recommendations again and again,” Emma Norris, deputy director of the Institute for Government, said in evidence. “This can come at a tragic cost to human lives and the suffering of the victims and survivors, and with a needless repetition of public inquiries,” the report said.

When inquiries end, they are dissolved and there are often no formal mechanisms for monitoring progress. The report recommended that government sets up a new, joint select committee of parliament – the Public Inquiries Committee. 

It would publish all reports and government responses in one place online, monitor the implementation of accepted recommendations, publish reports on how well individual recommendations are implemented, which would be available online, and boost governance around setting up, running and reporting on public inquiries.