Realistic timelines for non-statutory inquiries
Prior to the establishment of any future non-statutory inquiries or panel, there should be an honest and full discussion between the relevant police force(s) and the sponsoring Government department, to enable a realistic, informed assessment of the nature and volume of documentation in all its forms, and of the scope and depth of the work required. Framework procedures, capable of being customised, for the disclosure of material to such panels should be available, so as to avoid excessive delays in reaching agreement for access to material. Deadlines should only be established when the relevant inquiry or panel has had the opportunity to review the programme of work it is required to do. Any such deadline should be supported with an analysis explaining how the projected deadline has been identified, and why that is a reasonable time within which the work should be completed.
How was this assessed?
Response
Accepted
Response
AcceptedIt is right that full and proper consideration is given before establishing any form of public inquiry, and that ministers should consider when establishing a non-statutory inquiry or panel whether relevant information providers will cooperate promptly on a voluntary basis. If there is insufficient cooperation from public bodies during an inquiry process, the sponsoring minister has the power to convert those proceedings to a statutory inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005. The Government agrees that targets or deadlines set within an inquiry's terms of reference should be in consultation with the inquiry's chair and should have regard for the scale of the task. The Cabinet Office maintains a range of previous examples of disclosure protocols agreed between inquiries and information providers and ensures that these are made available to new inquiries as part of a process of sharing best practice.