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A very British institution?

29 September 2011 / Tim Suter
Issue: 7483 / Categories: Features , Public , Human rights
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Tim Suter traces the origins & achievements of public inquiries

“We have sought to establish the truth, insofar as it could be established.” The opening lines of the foreword to the report of the Rosemary Nelson Public Inquiry (HC 947) neatly encapsulate the overriding role of the modern public inquiry as a legal mechanism to investigate, examine, and report upon issues of grave public concern. Well-managed, a public inquiry can offer a cathartic opportunity that reassures public opinion and identifies lessons learned in the report upon its terms of reference.
The announcement of the Leveson Inquiry into issues arising from the News International phone hacking scandal highlights both how events and politics can suddenly combine to create the need for an inquiry and how little the public debate displays an understanding of the process, time, and money it will involve.

History matters

Public inquiry is a ubiquitous term that is applied to planning tribunals, investigations into transport accidents, and commissions on public policy reform.  

The modern public inquiry grew from the

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Birketts—trainee cohort

Birketts—trainee cohort

Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025

Keoghs—four appointments

Keoghs—four appointments

Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Real estate team in Yorkshire welcomes new partner

NEWS
Robert Taylor of 360 Law Services warns in this week's NLJ that adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms, unless tools are tailored to their needs
From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics
Delays and dysfunction continue to mount in the county court, as revealed in a scathing Justice Committee report and under discussion this week by NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School. Bulk claims—especially from private parking firms—are overwhelming the system, with 8,000 cases filed weekly
Writing in NLJ this week, Thomas Rothwell and Kavish Shah of Falcon Chambers unpack the surprise inclusion of a ban on upwards-only rent reviews in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
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