We need a more rigorous system of accountability, says Michael Bichard, while Graham Murphy says we can’t rush the Covid inquiry
Diana Johnson (Letters, 30 May) is right to be concerned that too many public inquiries have little impact because there is no mechanism to follow up on their recommendations. When I chaired the Soham inquiry I included a recommendation that the government should report back to parliament six months after publication on progress made.
That was agreed by the then home secretary. As a result, ministers and the civil service were more diligent in ensuring that action was taken as they knew they would be held to account. Since then, select committees have become much more effective and could usefully take on the task of revisiting inquiry recommendations after six months. At the moment, too many inquiries take too long and are quickly consigned to history. We need a more rigorous system of accountability.
Michael Bichard
Crossbench peer, House of Lords
