Parliament
72 mentions of the inquiry in Parliament: debates, written questions and statements, oral questions and early day motions, from Hansard.
Funerals: Regulation
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards developing proposals for the statutory regulation of funeral services in England; whether those proposals will include mandatory registration, independent inspection, and enforceable minimum standards; and when they expect to publish their proposals and bring forward legislation.
I refer the Noble Baroness to the Written Statement HLWS306, made on 1 September, which I have reproduced below for ease:
My Right Honourable Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Yvette Cooper MP) has made the following statement:
I wish to update the House on the Government’s proposals for formal regulation of the funeral sector, announced this summer following the sentencing of criminal funeral director Robert Bush. These proposals will seek to crack down on rogue operators in the funeral sector and ensure better protection for bereaved families.
On 31 July, Bush, of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull, was sentenced to twenty years in prison for a total of 67 charges, including the prevention of a lawful and decent burial, fraud, fraudulent trading and theft.
His actions were utterly abhorrent, and my thoughts remain with all the bereaved families in Hull who were so badly let down. Every person in every situation deserves dignity in death, and every bereaved family deserves certainty that their loved ones are being treated with care and respect.
For those families, there can be few things more painful than knowing a loved one was not treated properly after they died. The deceased cannot speak for themselves, which is why clear safeguards, stronger oversight and consistent standards are needed to protect their dignity and give families the reassurance they deserve.
Sadly, this case was just the latest horrendous example in our country of the deceased not being treated with the care and respect they deserved.
Sir Jonathan Michael’s independent inquiry into the horrific crimes of David Fuller in the mortuary of Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust showed the need to ensure better standards across all settings that look after our loved ones after they die, including those where some level of regulation is already in place.
Building on the progress already made in responding to the Fuller Inquiry (see HCWS26, 15 July 2026), and in the wake of the Robert Bush case, the Government will therefore bring forward comprehensive proposals to ensure respect and dignity for the deceased in every setting, to drive rogue operators out of the funeral industry, and to protect other families from suffering this same heartache.
The Department of Health and Social Care is leading this work alongside the Ministry of Justice and other government departments, and will draw up detailed proposals to drive up standards, including proper regulation of the funeral sector. As part of this work, the Law Commission will also undertake a review of the criminal law in relation to the deceased, consider any gaps in existing legal protections and make recommendations on the creation of new offences, if they are needed.
The Government will work closely with bereaved families, funeral providers, faith groups, local authorities and other stakeholders to ensure that future policy in this area is proportionate, effective and informed by those with relevant experience. This will ensure families can have confidence that funeral providers are meeting clear, consistent standards, no matter where they live or which provider they choose.
These changes will also reinforce the profound responsibility placed on anyone entrusted with caring for someone after death. The majority of funeral providers live up to that responsibility, and offer compassionate and professional care every day. Nevertheless, stronger oversight, including proper regulation of the sector, will protect families from rogue operators, support good providers and restore confidence in a sector that people must be able to trust in moments of profound grief and loss.
We will keep the House updated as this work progresses, and set out our detailed plans and timetables for the implementation of these new proposals in due course.
Read full answer →Public Inquiries
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 18 February (HL4612), how many non-statutory public inquiries have been established since 2005; what were the names of each inquiry; what were the projected costs of each inquiry at the time of its establishment; and, for those that have concluded, what was the final cost of each inquiry upon its conclusion.
Since 2005, His Majesty’s Government has established 18 non-statutory inquiries.
The Cabinet Office collects data on the duration and cost of inquiries from departments, inquiries’ own reports, and other publicly available information. We do not centrally hold data on the projected costs of each inquiry as each Government Department is responsible for the inquiries they sponsor.
We have provided details on all non statutory inquiries established since 2005 in the table below. In the table below, “unknown” means that it is not known by Cabinet Office.
<tbody>
Inquiry
Legislative Basis
Year established
Duration in months (from announcement to publication of final report)
Reported final costs where publicly available
Manston Inquiry
Non-Statutory
2025
Ongoing
Pending
Cranston Inquiry
Non-statutory
2023
Ongoing
Pending
Andrew Malkinson Inquiry
Non-statutory
2023
Ongoing
Pending
Fuller Inquiry
Non-statutory
2022
Ongoing
Pending
Angiolini Inquiry
Non-statutory
2022
Ongoing
Pending
The Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review
Non-statutory
2018
29
£1.7m
Independent Inquiry into the issues raised by Ian Paterson
Non-statutory
2018
26
£1.9m
Independent inquiry into the award of the Magnox decommissioning contract by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and its subsequent termination
Non-statutory
2017
48
Unknown
Gosport Independent Panel
Non-statutory
2014
42
£13m
Harris Review / Independent review of self-inflicted deaths of young adults in custody aged between 18 and 24
Non-statutory
2014
17
£0.2m
The Morecambe Bay Maternity and Neonatal Services Investigation
Non-statutory
2013
18
£1.1m
Daniel Morgan Independent Panel
Non-statutory
2013
97
£17.6m
The Detainee Inquiry
Non-statutory (Committee of Privy Counsellors)
2010
45
£2.3m (exc. VAT)
The Hillsborough Independent Panel
Non-statutory
2009
33
Less than £5m
Independent Inquiry into care provided by Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust January 2001 – March 2009
Non-statutory
2009
7
Unknown
The Iraq Inquiry / The Chilcot Inquiry
Non-statutory (Committee of Privy Counsellors)
2009
85
£13.1m
Inquiry into Human Tissue Analysis in UK Nuclear Facilities / Redfern Inquiry
Non-statutory
2007
43
Unknown
Contaminated Blood and Blood Products Inquiry
Non-statutory
2007
48
£75k
</tbody>
Read full answer →Offences against Children
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 22 January (HL3896), what assessment they have made of the proportion of Muslims among members of grooming gangs.
Further to my previous response, the Government will lay out a clear timetable before Easter on how we will take forward the 20 recommendations from the final report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. We will also set up a new panel to ensure victims' and survivors' voices are prioritised in future policy making.
We have been clear that local authorities, who are responsible for delivering local services, are best placed to commission local inquiries, and we stand ready to support as we can. That is why the Home Secretary announced to Parliament on the 6 and 16 January 2025 a range of measures, including stronger national backing for local inquiries and funding provisions to help local councils set up their own reviews. The Home Office will develop a new effective framework for victim-centred, locally-led inquiries, and work with Oldham Council and four other pilot areas to implement it. Additionally, local councils which are yet to hold regional investigations where the group-based sexual offences have been more prevalent will be urged to conduct their own reviews to prevent offending happening again.
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the Home Secretary's statement made on 16 January, which set out the actions the Government is taking forward to improve our response to, and understanding of, child sexual exploitation and abuse, including group-based abuse This includes improving the data available on the perpetration of these crimes and the Home Secretary has asked the Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce to expand the ethnicity data it collects and publishes - gathering data from the end of the investigation when a fuller picture is available.
The Home Secretary is also appointing Baroness Louise Casey to lead an audit to improve our understanding of the scale, nature and drivers of group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse at a national and local level, including what is known about the demographics of perpetrators and victims, and to make recommendations on what additional action is needed to improve our response.
Read full answer →Offences against Children
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 22 January (HL3896), what assessment they have made of the appropriateness of identifying membership of grooming gangs by reference to Pakistani origin.
Further to my previous response, the Government will lay out a clear timetable before Easter on how we will take forward the 20 recommendations from the final report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. We will also set up a new panel to ensure victims' and survivors' voices are prioritised in future policy making.
We have been clear that local authorities, who are responsible for delivering local services, are best placed to commission local inquiries, and we stand ready to support as we can. That is why the Home Secretary announced to Parliament on the 6 and 16 January 2025 a range of measures, including stronger national backing for local inquiries and funding provisions to help local councils set up their own reviews. The Home Office will develop a new effective framework for victim-centred, locally-led inquiries, and work with Oldham Council and four other pilot areas to implement it. Additionally, local councils which are yet to hold regional investigations where the group-based sexual offences have been more prevalent will be urged to conduct their own reviews to prevent offending happening again.
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the Home Secretary's statement made on 16 January, which set out the actions the Government is taking forward to improve our response to, and understanding of, child sexual exploitation and abuse, including group-based abuse This includes improving the data available on the perpetration of these crimes and the Home Secretary has asked the Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce to expand the ethnicity data it collects and publishes - gathering data from the end of the investigation when a fuller picture is available.
The Home Secretary is also appointing Baroness Louise Casey to lead an audit to improve our understanding of the scale, nature and drivers of group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse at a national and local level, including what is known about the demographics of perpetrators and victims, and to make recommendations on what additional action is needed to improve our response.
Read full answer →Offences against Children: Inquiries
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 22 January (HL3896), how and when they propose to “support victims and take action on delivering against the recommendations of the final report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse”; and how their proposed localised inquiries will compel witnesses to give evidence about girls trafficked across county boundaries.
Further to my previous response, the Government will lay out a clear timetable before Easter on how we will take forward the 20 recommendations from the final report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. We will also set up a new panel to ensure victims' and survivors' voices are prioritised in future policy making.
We have been clear that local authorities, who are responsible for delivering local services, are best placed to commission local inquiries, and we stand ready to support as we can. That is why the Home Secretary announced to Parliament on the 6 and 16 January 2025 a range of measures, including stronger national backing for local inquiries and funding provisions to help local councils set up their own reviews. The Home Office will develop a new effective framework for victim-centred, locally-led inquiries, and work with Oldham Council and four other pilot areas to implement it. Additionally, local councils which are yet to hold regional investigations where the group-based sexual offences have been more prevalent will be urged to conduct their own reviews to prevent offending happening again.
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the Home Secretary's statement made on 16 January, which set out the actions the Government is taking forward to improve our response to, and understanding of, child sexual exploitation and abuse, including group-based abuse This includes improving the data available on the perpetration of these crimes and the Home Secretary has asked the Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce to expand the ethnicity data it collects and publishes - gathering data from the end of the investigation when a fuller picture is available.
The Home Secretary is also appointing Baroness Louise Casey to lead an audit to improve our understanding of the scale, nature and drivers of group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse at a national and local level, including what is known about the demographics of perpetrators and victims, and to make recommendations on what additional action is needed to improve our response.
Read full answer →Inquiries
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 8 February (HL1937), whether they will list the 19 non-statutory and 23 statutory inquiries established under the Inquiries Act 2005, along with the (1) length, (2), cost, and (3) sponsoring department, for each of those inquiries.
The Cabinet Office collects data on the duration and cost of inquiries from departments, inquiries’ own reports, and other publicly available information.
We have provided details on all statutory and non-statutory inquiries established since 2005 in the table below.
In some cases, information in the table below has come from reports from outside the Government. We have not included the costs for ongoing inquiries, which are published at different frequencies on inquiry or departmental websites, and we have not included the details for any investigations commissioned by NHS England (some of which were counted in the total number of non-statutory inquiries in our previous response, answered on 8th February 2024, UIN HL1937). It has been noted where the publicly available information provides the cost excluding VAT.
<tbody>
Inquiry
Sponsor Department
Legislative Basis
Year established
Duration in months (from announcement to publication of final report)
Reported final costs where publicly available
Jalal Uddin Inquiry
HO
Inquiries Act 2005
2023
Ongoing
-
Cranston Inquiry
DfT
Non-statutory
2023
Ongoing
-
Andrew Malkinson Inquiry
MoJ
Non-statutory
2023
Ongoing
-
Thirlwall Inquiry
DHSC
Inquiries Act 2005
2023
Ongoing
-
Inquiry into the preventability of the Omagh bombing
NIO
Inquiries Act 2005
2023
Ongoing
-
Independent inquiry relating to Afghanistan
Ministry of Defence
Inquiries Act 2005
2022
Ongoing
-
Dawn Sturgess Inquiry
HO
Inquiries Act 2005
2022
Ongoing
-
Fuller Inquiry
DHSC
Non-statutory
2022
Ongoing
-
Angiolini Inquiry
HO
Non-statutory
2022
Ongoing
-
UK Covid-19 Inquiry
Cabinet Office
Inquiries Act 2005
2022
Ongoing
-
Lampard Inquiry
DHSC
Inquiries Act 2005
2021
Ongoing
-
Jermaine Baker inquiry
HO
Inquiries Act 2005
2020
29
£4.1m
Post Office Horizon IT inquiry
DBT
Inquiries Act 2005
2020
Ongoing
-
Manchester Arena inquiry
HO
Inquiries Act 2005
2019
41
£35.6m
Brook House Inquiry
HO
Inquiries Act 2005
2019
46
£18.7m
The Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review
Department of Health
Non-statutory
2018
29
£1.7m
Independent Inquiry into the issues raised by Ian Paterson
Department of Health
Non-statutory
2018
26
£1.9m
Grenfell Tower Inquiry
Cabinet Office
Inquiries Act 2005
2017
Ongoing
-
Infected Blood Inquiry
Cabinet Office
Inquiries Act 2005
2017
Ongoing
-
Independent inquiry into the award of the Magnox decommissioning contract by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and its subsequent termination
BEIS
Non-statutory
2017
48
[unknown]
Anthony Grainger Inquiry
HO
Inquiries Act 2005
2016
40
£2.6m
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse
HO
Inquiries Act 2005
2015
99
£192.7m (as of Dec 2022)
Undercover Policing Inquiry
HO
Inquiries Act 2005
2015
Ongoing
-
Gosport Independent Panel
Department of Health
Non-statutory
2014
42
£13m
The Litvinenko Inquiry
HO, FCO and 3 x Intelligence Agencies
Inquiries Act 2005
2014
18
£2.4m (exc. VAT)
Harris Review / Independent review of self-inflicted deaths of young adults in custody aged between 18 and 24
MoJ
Non-statutory
2014
17
£0.2m
The Morecambe Bay Maternity and Neonatal Services Investigation
Department of Health
Non-statutory
2013
18
£1.1m
Daniel Morgan Independent Panel
HO
Non-statutory
2013
97
£17.6m
The Leveson Inquiry
DCMS and HO
Inquiries Act 2005
2011
16
£5.4m
The Azelle Rodney Inquiry
MoJ
Inquiries Act 2005
2010
40
£2.6m
Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Inquiry 2013 / The Francis Inquiry
Department of Health
Inquiries Act 2005
2010
36
£13.7m
The Detainee Inquiry
Cabinet Office
Non-statutory (Committee of Privy Counsellors)
2010
45
£2.3m (exc. VAT)
The Hillsborough Independent Panel
HO
Non-statutory
2009
33
Less than £5m
The Al Sweady Inquiry
MoD
Inquiries Act 2005
2009
61
£24.9m (exc. VAT)
Independent Inquiry into care provided by Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust January 2001 – March 2009
Department of Health
Non-statutory
2009
7
-
The Iraq Inquiry / The Chilcot Inquiry
Cabinet Office, FCO, DfID
Non-statutory (Committee of Privy Counsellors)
2009
85
£13.1m
The Bernard (Sonny) Lodge Inquiry
MoJ
Inquiries Act 2005
2009
10
£0.4m
The Baha Mousa Inquiry
MoD
Inquiries Act 2005
2008
39
£13m
Inquiry into Human Tissue Analysis in UK Nuclear Facilities / Redfern Inquiry
DTI - BERR - DECC
Non-statutory
2007
43
-
Contaminated Blood and Blood Products Inquiry
Department of Health
Non-statutory
2007
48
£75k
</tbody>
Read full answer →North Korea: Human Rights
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest assessment of the human rights situation in North Korea.
The UK is deeply concerned about the appalling human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The UN Commission of Inquiry report, published in 2014, highlighted the severe and systematic human rights violations perpetrated by the regime on its own people. These include summary executions, torture, lack of judicial process, forced labour and prevention of freedom of expression and religion. There is no evidence that the situation is improving. The UK Government will continue to work closely with partners and through international fora to raise its significant concerns about human rights in the DPRK and press for substantial reforms to improve the lives of North Korean citizens. The UK regularly raises our concerns about human rights violations directly with the regime through our Embassy in Pyongyang. The UK will support the annual resolution on DPRK human rights at the forthcoming UN General Assembly to maintain international attention on that country’s dire human rights record. I include with this answer a copy of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Human Rights Report 2015 which includes a fuller assessment of the human rights situation in the DPRK.
Read full answer →