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NLJ this week: Public inquiries under the spotlight

03 November 2023
Issue: 8047 / Categories: Legal News , Public
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The headlines from the Covid inquiry are writing themselves, so revelatory is the evidence. It seems, however, that there is a never-ending stream of public inquiries, each one lasting an age

Writing in this week’s NLJ, Nick Wrightson, partner, Kingsley Napley, puts public inquiries themselves under the spotlight. Are they fit for purpose, what shape should they take and what do they achieve in practical terms?

Wrightson says: ‘The record of statutory inquiries for delivering real change through their recommendations (as opposed to their reputation for securing public accountability at hearings) is rather mixed.’

Nevertheless, he points out their many advantages as well as disadvantages, and explains what form suits best which type of issue.

Issue: 8047 / Categories: Legal News , Public
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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Group partner joins Guernsey banking and finance practice

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

London labour and employment team announces partner hire

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Double partner appointment marks Belfast expansion

NEWS
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has not done enough to protect the future sustainability of the legal aid market, MPs have warned
Writing in NLJ this week, NLJ columnist Dominic Regan surveys a landscape marked by leapfrog appeals, costs skirmishes and notable retirements. With an appeal in Mazur due to be heard next month, Regan notes that uncertainties remain over who will intervene, and hopes for the involvement of the Lady Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls in deciding the all-important outcome
After the Southport murders and the misinformation that followed, contempt of court law has come under intense scrutiny. In this week's NLJ, Lawrence McNamara and Lauren Schaefer of the Law Commission unpack proposals aimed at restoring clarity without sacrificing fair trial rights
The latest Home Office figures confirm that stop and search remains both controversial and diminished. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort University analyses data showing historically low use of s 1 PACE powers, with drugs searches dominating what remains
Boris Johnson’s 2019 attempt to shut down Parliament remains a constitutional cautionary tale. The move, framed as a routine exercise of the royal prerogative, was in truth an extraordinary effort to sideline Parliament at the height of the Brexit crisis. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC dissects how prorogation was wrongly assumed to be beyond judicial scrutiny, only for the Supreme Court to intervene unanimously
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