Mark Whitehead 13 December 2017

Government failing to act on public inquiries despite £639m bill finds report

The Government has spent huge amounts of money on public inquiries in recent years but usually fail to follow them up, according to new research.

The Institute for Government says 68 public inquiries have taken place since 1990 at a cost of £639m, but only six have been fully reviewed by MPs to see what happened as a result.

The institute's report 'How public inquiries can lead to change' says Parliament must hold government to account by requiring it to provide yearly progress updates to select committees.

It says there are eight inquiries currently taking place covering issues ranging from the Grenfell Tower disaster to Child Sexual Abuse to Contaminated Blood.

The institute says public inquiries have delivered valuable changes from effective gun control after the Dunblane massacre to the creation of the Rail Accident Investigation Branch after the Ladbroke Grove and Southall rail crashes.

But it says there are no formal checks or procedures to make sure they lead to meaningful change.

The report's author Emma Norris said: 'The implementation of findings is patchy and there is no proper procedure for holding government to account for change.

'Government needs to systematically provide a full and detailed response to inquiry findings and select committees need to make the follow-up to inquiry recommendations a core part of their work.'

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

RCHW Site Operative

Essex County Council
Up to £25959.00 per annum
RCHW Site OperativePermanent, Full Time£25,959 per annumLocation
Recuriter: Essex County Council

Adults Social Worker - West Essex

Essex County Council
£38487 - £51834 per annum
Register your interest here to be notified of upcoming Social Worker opportunities within Essex County Council's Adult Social Care services in West E England, Essex, Harlow
Recuriter: Essex County Council

Principal Highway Drainage Engineer

Herefordshire Council
HC10 £46,142 - £50,269 per annum
This is an exciting time to join the Highways and Public Realm team at Herefordshire Council. Herefordshire
Recuriter: Herefordshire Council

Finance Manager - Housing

Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
£58,165 - £62,094 (Pay award pending)
Do you want to be part of a great team that genuinely makes a difference? Rotherham, South Yorkshire
Recuriter: Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council

Senior Licensing & Housing Enforcement Officer

Lewisham London Borough Council
£49,155 - £51,228 per annum (PO3)
Discover yourself in Lewisham where what you do makes a difference... Laurence House, 1 Catford Rd, London SE6 4RU
Recuriter: Lewisham London Borough Council
Linkedin Banner