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Archer Inquiry

That is a very valid point, and I was about to mention it. Although Lord Winston described the tragedy as""the worst treatment disaster in the history of the national health service"," the Government have always argued that a public inquiry would be unjustified and unnecessary. The Archer inquiry was the first public attempt to uncover the truth, but because it was not a statutory inquiry, Lord Archer could not compel witnesses to give evidence and he could not oblige bodies to release documents. The Department of Health even refused to send witnesses to give public evidence to the inquiry.