A public inquiry , also known as a tribunal of inquiry , government inquiry , or simply inquiry , is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government body. In many common law countries, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and Canada, such an inquiry differs from a royal commission in that a public inquiry accepts evidence and conducts its hearings in a more public forum and focuses on a more specific occurrence. Interested members of the public and organisations may make (written) evidential submissions, as is the case with most inquiries, and also listen to oral evidence given by other parties.
39-575: The Grenfell Tower Inquiry is a British public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire , which killed 72 people and destroyed Grenfell Tower on 14 June 2017. It was ordered by Prime Minister Theresa May on the day following the fire. May announced on 29 June 2017 that the inquiry would be chaired by retired judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick , with the immediate priority "to establish the facts of what happened at Grenfell Tower in order to take
78-407: A "fact finder" in commercial law made him far better suited to the role than a criminal judge, and that getting the inquiry to empathise with the survivors "can be achieved without sacking the chair and starting again." Lord Chancellor David Lidington said Moore-Bick would lead the inquiry "with impartiality and a determination to get to the truth and see justice done". The inquiry leadership held
117-552: A clear, independent and thorough process for identifying and addressing the broader failings that led to the Grenfell fire." Matt Wrack of the Fire Brigades Union said, "Central government has created the housing and fire safety regime and central government must be held to account for any failings in it. Yet the terms of reference signed off by Theresa May appear designed to avoid this." Two former panel members from
156-568: A commission. The commission established after the 2012 Lamma Island ferry collision produced a report of its findings which they made public; an internal report was kept confidential. In the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests , one of the five key demands of the protesters, was establishing another commission for the protests itself. Martin Moore-Bick#Legal career Sir Martin James Moore-Bick , PC (born 6 December 1946)
195-421: A consultation on the inquiry's terms of reference throughout July 2017, which concluded on 4 August. On 30 June, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn wrote to May to say that the inquiry's terms should be broad, because the fire had "much wider implications for national policy issues". Former Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer said that "The inquiry has got to look at how [the regulatory] regime developed, or I think
234-477: A government refuses a public inquiry on some topic, it is usually on at least one of these grounds. The conclusions of the inquiry are delivered in the form of a written report, given first to the government, and soon after made public. Reports usually make recommendations to improve the quality of government or management of public organisations in the future. A 2016 study found that the reports of public inquiries are not effective in changing public opinion regarding
273-442: A promised public inquiry for Lakanal House being "downgraded to an inquest" and that inquests would be delayed by a criminal investigation. She acknowledged that victims' interests are often sidelined in a public inquiry but wrote that the scope of a public inquiry is wider and that a rapid inquiry would put the government under more pressure to implement its findings immediately. On 29 June, May announced that Sir Martin Moore-Bick ,
312-431: A range of major and lesser land use developments, including highways and other transport proposals. Advocacy groups and opposition political parties are likely to ask for public inquiries for all manner of issues. The government of the day typically only accedes to a fraction of these requests. The political decision whether to appoint a public inquiry into an event was found to be dependent on several factors. The first
351-464: A retired judge, would lead the inquiry. She stated that "Before the Inquiry starts Sir Martin will consult all those with an interest, including survivors and victims’ families, about the terms of reference." Moore-Bick met some survivors of the fire that day, and cautioned against giving the inquiry too much scope. The appointment was met with some criticism from survivors, as well as Emma Dent Coad ,
390-436: A total of 200 bedrooms. Its first four storeys were nonresidential until its most recent refurbishment in 2015–2016, which converted two of them to residential use, bringing it up to 127 flats and 227 bedrooms. It also received new plastic framed windows and new cladding with thermal insulation . A major fire seriously damaged the building on 14 June 2017, causing the deaths of 72 of the 293 people who were believed to be in
429-688: Is a retired judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales . Moore-Bick was born in Wales, the son of John Ninian Moore-Bick and his wife Kathleen ( née Beall). His younger brother, John Moore-Bick , is a retired major-general in the British Army. Moore-Bick was educated at The Skinners' School , Tunbridge Wells , and Christ's College, Cambridge , of which he became an honorary fellow in 2009. Moore-Bick married Tessa Gee in 1974. They have four children: two sons and two daughters. Moore-Bick
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#1732772859241468-478: Is at the heart of this truth-seeking and we would be grateful if you can revisit it and add it as an extra module.” Labour Party politicians and some survivors have argued that the inquiry should include an examination of national policy in national policy towards social housing . In his letter to Theresa May proposing the Terms, which were agreed without amendment, Moore-Bick had noted that many of those affected by
507-454: Is the extent of media coverage of the event; those that receive more media interest are more likely to be inquired. Second, since the appointment of a public inquiry is typically made by government ministers, events that involve allegations of blame on the part of the relevant minister are less likely to be investigated by a public inquiry. Third, a public inquiry generally takes longer to report and costs more on account of its public nature. When
546-488: The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse raised concerns about the ability of the inquiry to be independent of the government. Matt Wrack , the general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union , argued that the order of the inquiry made the fire service's role too prominent, while other issues will be addressed in the second phase when public interest will have faded. On 7 January 2018, an open letter to
585-624: The MP for Kensington . The chief criticisms were towards Moore-Bick's background in commercial law, his different social background to the survivors and his previous ruling in a Westminster City Council case , in which he had allowed a local resident to be rehoused 50 miles away. This decision had been overturned on appeal by the Supreme Court . Dent Coad said "We need somebody who can do the detail but we need somebody who can actually understand human beings as well." During two public meetings held by
624-728: The United Kingdom , Scottish , Northern Irish and Welsh governments to investigate either specific, controversial events or policy proposals. Non-statutory public inquiries are often used in order to investigate controversial events of national concern, the advantage being that they are more flexible than the statutory inquiry as they do not need to follow the requirements of the Inquiries Act 2005 , The Inquiry Rules 2006 (UK, excluding Scotland) and The Inquiries (Scotland) Rules 2007. Statutory inquiries can be held as subject-specific public inquiries, however most are now held under
663-508: The 129-flat tower that night. The day after the fire broke out, Theresa May , the then prime minister, announced that there would be an inquiry into its causes. She made a statement to Parliament on 22 June announced a judge-led inquiry, saying "No stone will be left unturned by this Inquiry". Sophie Khan, who acted as solicitor for some families in the Lakanal House fire , told BBC Two's Newsnight that inquests would be better for
702-602: The Inquiries Act 2005 which repealed the Tribunals of Inquiry (Evidence) Act 1921 . Statutory public inquiries, unlike non-statutory inquiries, have legal powers to compel witnesses. This list excludes Public Local Inquiries (which encompasses Planning Inquiries, Compulsory Purchase Order Inquiries, Listed Building Inquiries etc.) In Hong Kong, the Commissions of Inquiry Ordinance was enacted for establishing such
741-418: The Inquiry before finalisation of its terms of reference, Moore-Bick faced further calls for his resignation, many residents saying that he did not represent them. In response, Moore-Bick said that he was qualified to lead the investigation, because in his 20 years as a judge, he had looked into "the sort of problems that have to be considered in relation to this fire." He promised that the Inquiry would consider
780-495: The Inquiry before the finalisation of the terms of reference, various residents criticised the lack of diversity of the Inquiry panel, saying that it did not represent the community. An anonymous legal columnist in the New Statesman wrote that "The bulk of this objection, it appears, arises out of a rapidly cultivated image of Sir Martin as an establishment Mr Whitewash." The columnist argued that Moore-Bick's background as
819-547: The Prime Minister signed by 71 academics and several politicians was published. This described concern for a possible conflict of interest of the auditors KPMG , who audited the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and companies responsible for the cladding on Grenfell Tower. This was viewed by signatories as a conflict with their neutrality on the inquiry. In response, KPMG agreed to immediately withdraw from
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#1732772859241858-480: The advent of full democracy in 1994. A number of which have looked into national scale events such as systematic human rights abuses during apartheid or wide scale corruption . In the United Kingdom, the term public inquiry, also known as a tribunal of inquiry, refers to either statutory or non-statutory inquiries that have been established either previously by the monarch or by government ministers of
897-648: The bereaved in US courts, which lawyers estimate could cause a payout worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Public inquiry Typical events for a public inquiry are those that cause multiple deaths, such as public transport crashes or mass murders . In addition, in the UK, the Planning Inspectorate , an agency of the Department for Communities and Local Government , routinely holds public inquiries into
936-643: The compulsory acquisition of private property must, before being approved, be the subject of a public inquiry (usually by the prefect of the region or department in which the project will take place); the favourable outcome of such an inquiry is a déclaration d'utilité publique , a formal finding that the project will produce public benefit. This procedure was established by the law on expropriation enacted on 7 July 1833, which extended an earlier law enacted in 1810. A number of historically important public inquiries have taken place in South Africa since
975-881: The customary knighthood . He was assigned to the Queen's Bench Division , serving in the Commercial Court . On 7 April 2005, Moore-Bick became a Lord Justice of Appeal , and he was appointed to the Privy Council on 7 June of that year. In the same year, he was appointed to the role of chairman of the Legal Services Consultative Panel , serving until 2009. Moore-Bick served as Deputy Head of Civil Justice from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2012. Lord Justice Richards took over this role from 1 January 2013 for an initial three-year period. From 1 October 2014 until his retirement, Moore-Bick
1014-399: The event in question. Empirical studies do not find support for the claim that appointing a public inquiry leads to a decline in media attention to the inquired issue. Public inquiry reports appear to enjoy public trust only when they are critical of a government, and tend to lose credibility when they find no fault on the part of the government. In France, any major project which requires
1053-600: The evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) until after the inquiry, but have already conducted at least 13 interviews under caution. Questioning suggests that charges could be laid under the Health and Safety at Work Act which obliges employees to 'take reasonable care for the health and safety of anyone "who may be affected by his acts or omissions at work." There are also threats of civil litigation. Arconic and Celotex are facing civil litigation from
1092-481: The families as they would allow the families to participate and ask questions. She said the coroner was independent but a public inquiry was government-led and she wondered what information the Prime Minister knew that she wanted to hide. Another solicitor, Louise Christian , who also acted for families in relation to Lakanal House, wrote in The Guardian that a public inquiry was the best approach. She wrote about
1131-500: The fire and others had been in favour of this. He argued, however, that this would add significantly to the time required to complete his work, and that such an examination was better suited to a different kind of process and not to a judge-led inquiry. in her response, Theresa May said that the Housing Minister Alok Sharma would "personally meet and hear from as many social housing tenants as possible" both in
1170-426: The fire", including its causes, how it spread to the whole building, and the adequacy of the regulations and safety measures in place. The Grenfell Next of Kin group, accuses the Royal Borough of Kensington of “contemptuous disregard” in the decision-making processes that led to the tragedy. It said “Systemic racism goes deep to the heart of the problem that caused the catastrophe. Questions around race and social class
1209-401: The immediate area and further afield. In response, Corbyn wrote an open letter to May saying: "The fire has raised profound concerns about the way that social housing is provided and managed in this country, and I as well as many survivors worry that without a wider focus, the inquiry will fail to get fully to grips with the causes of the fire." Corbyn also said May should "immediately set out
Grenfell Tower Inquiry - Misplaced Pages Continue
1248-590: The inquiry and waive its fees. There were 46 recommendations embedded within 35 paragraphs of chapter 33 of the four-volume full report, and published again in the executive summary. The press have printed a selection. For example, The Guardian published: The longer phase 2 commenced in 2019 and was seriously delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic . Phase 2 is divided into eight modules: The Metropolitan Police Service are investigating possible criminal manslaughter and corporate manslaughter charges. They will delay handing
1287-402: The necessary action to prevent a similar tragedy from happening again". She promised that "No stone will be left unturned by this inquiry." On 15 August 2017, the terms of reference of the Inquiry were announced. The first hearing opened on 14 September 2017. The Inquiry is divided into two phases: Phase 1 , which addressed the events on the night of the fire, and Phase 2 , which investigated
1326-487: The residents would feel they were let down." On 17 July, he again wrote to May, saying: "As I set out in my letter dated 30 June, there is considerable concern among residents and others that the judge leading the inquiry has already been directed towards a narrowly defined Terms of Reference, which will not bring residents the answers they seek." On 15 August 2017, Theresa May announced the terms of reference. The inquiry's role would be to examine "the circumstances surrounding
1365-543: The six-year public inquiry "sets out how a chain of failures across government and the private sector led to Grenfell Tower becoming a death trap". Grenfell Tower was a 24-storey residential tower block in North Kensington , London, England. It was completed in 1974, as part of the first phase of the Lancaster West Estate . The concrete structure's top 20 storeys consisted of 120 flats, with
1404-638: The wider situation. Hearings for Phase 1 were held in June–December 2018 in Holborn , Central London. The report for the findings of Phase 1 was published on 30 October 2019. The Phase 2 hearings commenced on 28 January 2020 at a location in Paddington . Hearings after 16 March 2020 were suspended until further COVID-19 resilient arrangements could be put in place. The Inquiry published its second and final report on 4 September 2024. The 1,700-page report of
1443-559: Was Vice President of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal . He took over the role on the retirement of Lord Justice Maurice Kay . Moore-Bick retired from judicial office on 6 December 2016. According to his Chambers' website, on 14 August 2017, "He now accepts appointments as an arbitrator." It was announced on 29 June 2017 that Moore-Bick would lead a public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire . On 29 and 30 June it
1482-537: Was called to the Bar at Inner Temple in 1969, and was elected a bencher in 1992, serving as treasurer in 2015. Moore-Bick practised as a barrister from chambers at 3 Essex Court, later 20 Essex Street. His practice was in commercial law and, in particular, shipping law . He became a Queen's Counsel in 1986 and was appointed a Recorder in 1990. He was appointed to the High Court on 2 October 1995, receiving
1521-417: Was widely reported that the tenants' solicitor in a 2014 case against Westminster City Council had said, after Moore-Bick's ruling, that it gave "the green light for social-cleansing of the poor on a mass scale". The local Labour MP , Emma Dent Coad , said on 4 July that year that local people had no confidence in Moore-Bick and that he should stand down. On 25 July, at the second public meeting held by
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