Public Inquiries FAQs | Legal Expert Explains

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Public Inquiries are investigations ordered by a government minister that can take place when there is the existence of ‘public concern’ about a particular event or set of events. Current ongoing Inquiries include the Independent Inquiry Into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), the Grenfell Fire Inquiry and the Manchester Arena Bombing Inquiry. They broadly will be seeking to ask three main questions:

1. What happened?
2. Why did it happen and is anyone to blame?
3. What can be done to prevent this happening again?

Inquiries can be statutory or non-statutory. If statutory they are governed by the Inquiries Act 2005 and can compel individuals and organisations to release documents and also compel witnesses to give evidence before the Inquiry chair and panel. Non-statutory Inquiries do not have these powers.

Each Inquiry will have its own terms of reference and a chair and panel. The chair can be from a legal or non-legal background.



1. The timing of the UK lockdown and whether or not that was too late?
2. The availability and ready supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to those on the front line such as hospitals, care homes and other key workers.
3. The discharge of elderly people infected with Covid 19 from hospitals into care homes.
4. Levels of testing and the effectiveness of the Test Track and Trace system.

We wait to hear more news about a public inquiry and join the calls for the government to have one to learn lessons for the future. But there are many unanswered questions. So whenever it happens, it’s essential that it gets to the truth.

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