Recommendation DM-18: Realistic timelines for non-statutory inquiries
From The Report of the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel, published 15 June 2021.
Recommendation
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.
In brief (written by this site)
In its June 2023 response presented to Parliament, the Home Office agreed that targets or deadlines set within an inquiry's terms of reference should be determined in consultation with the inquiry's chair and should have regard for the scale of the task (Home Office response, Jun 2023). The record holds no update since the Home Office's response of June 2023 (Home Office response, Jun 2023).
Sources
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
Government response
2.3.15. Finally, the Panel considered in its report that the deadline set for its work within its terms of reference was unrealistic and set without a detailed understanding of the work to be delivered. The Panel’s Terms of Reference stated that the Panel’s work would be done within a year. There was no expectation of the difficulties and delays which the Panel would encounter in accessing the documentation, and the volume of material which was in excess of a million pages. 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.
Delivery
No statement on delivery from Home Office has been found in the sources searched (last checked 30 January 2026). This is separate from the response above.
Source
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- Home Office
Response