To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she will introduce statutory time limits for fitness-to-practise and cause-for-concern investigations by Social Work England.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she will introduce statutory time limits for fitness-to-practise and cause-for-concern investigations by Social Work England.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking in response to the recommendations of the Dame Annie Hudson review of social work professional regulation to reduce delays in the handling of fitness-to-practise and cause-for-concern cases by Social Work England; and what target timeframe has...

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking in response to the recommendations of the Dame Annie Hudson review of social work professional regulation to reduce delays in the handling of fitness-to-practise and cause-for-concern cases by Social Work England; and what target timeframe has...

The Independent Expert Panel determines cases against MPs and appeals under the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme; and appeals under the MPs’ Code of Conduct.

The Independent Expert Panel determines cases against MPs and appeals under the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme; and appeals under the MPs’ Code of Conduct.

Lords committee stage second day. Clauses 8 to 11 agreed to. Schedule 2 agreed to. (Part 1 of 2).

Lords committee stage second day. Clauses 8 to 11 agreed to. Schedule 2 agreed to. (Part 1 of 2).

Moved by

Baroness Brinton

31: After Clause 7, insert the following Clause—

“Offence of wilfully destroying information or records relevant to an inquiry or investigation

(1) A public authority or public official commits an offence if—

(a) they deliberately destroy relevant information or records which are or may be relevant to an inquiry, investigation, or...

Moved by

Baroness Brinton

31: After Clause 7, insert the following Clause—

“Offence of wilfully destroying information or records relevant to an inquiry or investigation

(1) A public authority or public official commits an offence if—

(a) they deliberately destroy relevant information or records which are or may be relevant to an inquiry, investigation, or...

My Lords, on the first day of Committee we discussed amendments to ensure that records, physical and digital, are explicitly added to the application of the duty of candour, because we know there have been a number of egregious cases where information was hidden. For example, I spoke of the...

My Lords, on the first day of Committee we discussed amendments to ensure that records, physical and digital, are explicitly added to the application of the duty of candour, because we know there have been a number of egregious cases where information was hidden. For example, I spoke of the...

My Lords, I support Amendment 31, in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Brinton, and Amendment 82, in the name of the noble and learned Lord, Lord Keen of Elie. The noble Baroness has made a very compelling case. I would like to delve deeper into two of the...

My Lords, I support Amendment 31, in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Brinton, and Amendment 82, in the name of the noble and learned Lord, Lord Keen of Elie. The noble Baroness has made a very compelling case. I would like to delve deeper into two of the...

My Lords, statutory inquiries are very expensive. I was chairman of a statutory inquiry at about the same time as Lord Taylor. It really depresses me that, if you chair a statutory inquiry and you are given a whole lot of false information or not given the relevant information, the...

My Lords, statutory inquiries are very expensive. I was chairman of a statutory inquiry at about the same time as Lord Taylor. It really depresses me that, if you chair a statutory inquiry and you are given a whole lot of false information or not given the relevant information, the...

My Lords, my noble friend’s amendment, which I have signed, should not have needed examples to back it up, because I think it would stand without them, but those we have heard are very telling. The noble Baroness, Lady Finn, has not yet had an opportunity to introduce her noble...

My Lords, my noble friend’s amendment, which I have signed, should not have needed examples to back it up, because I think it would stand without them, but those we have heard are very telling. The noble Baroness, Lady Finn, has not yet had an opportunity to introduce her noble...

My Lords, I am not sure, in supporting these amendments, that I accept that they go far enough. There is one word missing from Amendment 31—“conceal” or “concealment”—and the same is missing from Clause 12 of the Bill. I respectfully suggest to the Minister that Clause 12(3) needs to be...

My Lords, I am not sure, in supporting these amendments, that I accept that they go far enough. There is one word missing from Amendment 31—“conceal” or “concealment”—and the same is missing from Clause 12 of the Bill. I respectfully suggest to the Minister that Clause 12(3) needs to be...

My Lords, I welcome this amendment that would make it a criminal offence to deliberately destroy documents that could be relevant to an inquiry, but there is another side of this that we need to look at: the policy within organisations on which documents are kept. We would have thought...

My Lords, I welcome this amendment that would make it a criminal offence to deliberately destroy documents that could be relevant to an inquiry, but there is another side of this that we need to look at: the policy within organisations on which documents are kept. We would have thought...

My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Brinton, for opening our debate on this group. As she will see from my noble and learned friend Lord Keen of Elie’s amendment in this group, there is, happily, some common ground between us. Although both amendments in this group relate to...

My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Brinton, for opening our debate on this group. As she will see from my noble and learned friend Lord Keen of Elie’s amendment in this group, there is, happily, some common ground between us. Although both amendments in this group relate to...

My Lords, I am grateful to all noble Lords who have spoken in the debate. I note that, as the noble Baroness, Lady Finn, said, there has been a deal of consensus. The noble Baroness, Lady Brinton, and others set out a depressing and dispiriting litany. I do not underestimate...

My Lords, I am grateful to all noble Lords who have spoken in the debate. I note that, as the noble Baroness, Lady Finn, said, there has been a deal of consensus. The noble Baroness, Lady Brinton, and others set out a depressing and dispiriting litany. I do not underestimate...

My Lords, I am very grateful to all noble Lords who have spoken in this medium-sized debate—not terribly short by our standards on the first day. I think it has really helped the debate on what happens when people destroy documents. I am grateful in particular to the noble Lord,...

My Lords, I am very grateful to all noble Lords who have spoken in this medium-sized debate—not terribly short by our standards on the first day. I think it has really helped the debate on what happens when people destroy documents. I am grateful in particular to the noble Lord,...

Moved by

Lord Carter of Haslemere

32: After Clause 7, insert the following new Clause—

“Recommendations

(1) This section applies when the Secretary of State receives the recommendations of an inquiry with respect to the actions of a public authority.

(2) Within 56 days, the Secretary of State must, in line with their duty of...

Moved by

Lord Carter of Haslemere

32: After Clause 7, insert the following new Clause—

“Recommendations

(1) This section applies when the Secretary of State receives the recommendations of an inquiry with respect to the actions of a public authority.

(2) Within 56 days, the Secretary of State must, in line with their duty of...

My Lords, Amendment 32, which kicks off this second group, would require any Government to lay before Parliament the details of action which will be taken in response to a public inquiry’s recommendation or to explain why no action is to be taken. I am very grateful to the noble...

My Lords, Amendment 32, which kicks off this second group, would require any Government to lay before Parliament the details of action which will be taken in response to a public inquiry’s recommendation or to explain why no action is to be taken. I am very grateful to the noble...

My Lords, I have a few remarks on Amendment 32, which my noble friend Lord Carter has so ably introduced.

I have conducted some independent inquiries of a sort that would fall within this clause, though none of them cost millions or hundreds of millions. In some cases, my noble friend...

My Lords, I have a few remarks on Amendment 32, which my noble friend Lord Carter has so ably introduced.

I have conducted some independent inquiries of a sort that would fall within this clause, though none of them cost millions or hundreds of millions. In some cases, my noble friend...

My Lords, I welcome the amendment from the noble Lord, Lord Carter, on a very important issue: what happens to the outcomes of very lengthy and expensive inquiries? The noble Lord raised what has been spent on public inquiries since 1990 and I suspect that will grow even further.

The problem...

My Lords, I welcome the amendment from the noble Lord, Lord Carter, on a very important issue: what happens to the outcomes of very lengthy and expensive inquiries? The noble Lord raised what has been spent on public inquiries since 1990 and I suspect that will grow even further.

The problem...

My Lords, I too have sympathy with this recommendation and I hope that the Minister when replying will commit to having some further discussions, because I also have some sympathy with the comments that have been made—not all of them, but many of them. When I chaired the Soham inquiry,...

My Lords, I too have sympathy with this recommendation and I hope that the Minister when replying will commit to having some further discussions, because I also have some sympathy with the comments that have been made—not all of them, but many of them. When I chaired the Soham inquiry,...

My Lords, I was on the committee of your Lordships’ House referred to by the noble Lord, Lord Carter, looking into the future of public inquiries. I have to say that public inquiries

did not get an overwhelming endorsement. Many of us thought they went on too long, were too...

My Lords, I was on the committee of your Lordships’ House referred to by the noble Lord, Lord Carter, looking into the future of public inquiries. I have to say that public inquiries

did not get an overwhelming endorsement. Many of us thought they went on too long, were too...