The Hillsborough Law should be a starting point for reform of public inquiries

After decades of fighting for justice, the families of Hillsborough victims will soon reach a milestone: the prime minister’s introduction of legislation mandating a statutory ‘duty of candour’ this April. This long-overdue measure will require public bodies to cooperate fully with investigations and inquiries into major disasters, with possible criminal sanctions for non-compliance. It is a testament to the extraordinary perseverance of the families who fought to uncover the truth about Hillsborough. But their struggle is not unique. Delays, inaction, and obfuscation have plagued other scandals that are now the subject of major inquiries, from the Infected Blood Inquiry, to the Undercover Policing Inquiry, to the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry.

Our current public inquiries system is no longer fit for purpose. To drive wider change, the Hillsborough Law must be more than an isolated reform; it should serve as a catalyst for a broader transformation of how the UK handles disasters, tragedies, and scandals. For years, family groups, legal experts, policymakers, and parliamentarians have called for meaningful reform. The government now has an opportunity to make the Hillsborough Law the first in a series of changes that will ensure victims of tragedy and state wrongdoing are better served, and lessons are more easily enacted.

What is wrong with public inquiries?  

Statutory public inquiries have become the default response to state, regulatory, and institutional failures. The number of active inquiries – 20 – is at an all-time high, reflecting the public’s perception that they are the only viable mechanism for accountability. And it is trend that has been rising for decades: between 1990 and 2025, 87 public inquiries were launched, compared with just 19 in the previous 30 years.

Yet, despite their proliferation, inquiries often fail to deliver timely justice or prevent future tragedies. In fact, they are taking longer than ever to conclude. The Grenfell Inquiry took seven years from initiation to final report, and the COVID-19 Inquiry is not expected to conclude until at least 2027. Our analysis shows that the average length of inquiries is increasing, delaying both justice and meaningful action.

In addition to their prolonged timelines, inquiries are becoming more expensive. Between 2005 and 2014, the average cost of an inquiry was £8.2 million. Over the past decade, as inquiries have suffered from scope creep, often trying to meet the multiple objectives of blame placing, lesson learning and memorialisation at the same time, the average cost has ballooned to £69.4 million. In 2023/24 alone, the government spent £130 million on public inquiries. 

Despite these enormous investments of time, money – and, most importantly – of the hopes of those affected, many inquiry recommendations are ignored. This failure leads to repeated disasters. The House of Lords found that had the recommendations from the 2001 Bristol Royal Infirmary Inquiry been implemented, the 2013 Mid Staffordshire Hospitals scandal might have been averted. Similarly, if the lessons from the 2013 Lakanal House fire investigation had been heeded, the Grenfell Tower fire could have been prevented. A review of 29 inquiries since 1994 found that just 302 of over 1,400 recommendations had been enacted. These shortcomings have allowed avoidable tragedies to recur.

Reforming the UK’s public inquiries system is possible

There is no inherent reason investigations, reviews or inquiries must be statutory, take years or cost hundreds of millions of pounds to affect change, but the UK’s unwieldy system of public inquiries all too often fails to deliver timely change or provide closure to those most affected. Reform is necessary. It is also entirely possible.

Other countries have successfully overhauled their approaches to public inquiries. In New Zealand, concerns over a complex and inefficient system led to significant reforms. Today, inquiries take an average of just 18 months – and with the option to be even faster –  allowing lessons to be implemented swiftly. The Netherlands has introduced a faster review process, completing three separate COVID-19 inquiries between June 2020 and October 2023, with recommendations already being implemented. Australia, meanwhile, has long used ‘implementation monitors’ – experts dedicated to ensuring inquiry findings translate into real-world change. 

Even within the UK, there are examples of more agile and effective approaches. The Soham Inquiry, despite being non-statutory, was completed in under a year and led to major reforms in vetting processes for adults working in schools.

The Hillsborough Law presents a rare opportunity for systemic reform. In the coming weeks, we will outline key options for improving the inquiry system – highlighting international good practice that could be adopted in the UK and proposing innovations to make public inquiries faster, more effective, and more accountable. By doing so, we can ensure inquiries better serve both those most affected and the wider public interest.