This chapter outlines the role of public inquiries within the broader context of administrative justice. The focus of this chapter is ad hoc inquires established under the royal prerogative or the Inquiries Act 2005 to consider a matter of public concern. Such inquiries fulfil several purposes, and supplement other forms of accountability. The chapter then discusses the key features of public inquiries, including the importance of the terms of reference which establish the remit of the inquiry. The next important question is the choice of chair or panel, and in particular as to whether a senior judge should be used to chair the inquiry. There are some circumstances when the use of a judicial chair is perhaps less appropriate, including when the inquiry is likely to veer into matters of political controversy. Other considerations include whether inquiries should sit in private or public, and the impact of an inquiries report once it has been released to the public.
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Chapter
Sir William Wade and Christopher Forsyth
This chapter begins with a discussion of statutory inquiry, which is the standard technique for giving a fair hearing to objectors before the final decision is made on some question of government policy affecting citizens' rights or interests. It then turns to complaints and reforms; law and practice today in statutory inquiries; and other inquiry procedures.
Chapter
Sir William Wade, Christopher Forsyth, and Julian Ghosh
This chapter begins with a discussion of statutory inquiry, which is the standard technique for giving a fair hearing to objectors before the final decision is made on some question of government policy affecting citizens’ rights or interests. It then turns to complaints and reforms; law and practice today in statutory inquiries; and other inquiry procedures.
Chapter
Mark Elliott and Jason Varuhas
This chapter discusses ex post (after the event) and ex ante (before the event) inquiries. It begins by sketching two of the ex ante inquiry models that are encountered in the planning context. The first model involves an inquiry that takes place before the making of any decision whatever and the second involves inquiries that are taken in advance of any decision on the relevant matter being reached, as well as inquiries that are undertaken in the course of an appeal that is lodged against a decision. The chapter then considers the nature and purpose of ex ante inquiries and the right to know the opposing case, along with participation and procedure as they apply to inquiries. It goes on to examine ex post inquiries and the role of judges in holding such inquiries before concluding with an analysis of government accountability with respect to inquiries.
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This chapter, which examines the nature, function, and legal framework of inquiries, also discusses the inquiry process and the effectiveness of inquiries. Inquiries have been widely criticised due to their chequered history—one that has been characterised by lengthy proceedings, high costs, and reports which have sometimes met with public dissension over the correctness of the conclusions reached or indifference from the government. They are also accused of being susceptible to manipulation by the government for its own political ends. Nevertheless, inquiries are an important mechanism for undertaking a detailed investigation into an issue of public concern and for holding government accountable.
Chapter
This chapter examines pre-contract searches and enquiries. Searches are requests for information about the subject property made by conveyancers that are sent to various agencies that hold that information, like local authorities. Enquiries are questions about the subject property that are sent to a seller to answer. These are interesting and important subjects within the conveyancing process and cover a lot of points that can be of considerable consequence to a buyer.
Chapter
Robert M. Abbey and Mark B. Richards
This chapter considers two areas that provide practitioners with some of the more challenging parts of the conveyancing process: first, post-completion procedures; and, second, dealing with delays and seeking appropriate remedies. Practitioners must deal with time limits, with ‘what if’ scenarios, and with the mechanics of stamping and registration. In particular, delays affecting conveyancing contracts, and the consequential remedies available, are a fertile source for conflict between conveyancing practitioners.
Chapter
This chapter discusses the concept of administrative justice. The complexity and scale of modern government means that it is inevitable that sometimes things will go wrong. Public bodies make hundreds of thousands of decisions each year. Sometimes, the pressures of making thousands of decisions on finite resources mean that public bodies may not treat members of the public appropriately and not fulfil the aims of good government. When things go wrong, some will wish to challenge decisions made by the public authorities. Although such disputes are usually resolved by the courts applying the principles of judicial review, alternatives such as statutory tribunals, the ombudsman, and public inquiry provide other ways to challenge decisions made by public bodies. These three procedures form the basis of the system of administrative justice.
Chapter
This chapter begins with discussions of the role of the judiciary in the UK, its relationships with other institutions, and qualifications for being a judge. It then considers the issue of judicial independence and how independence can be retained while ensuring that judges are accountable. There is a mini case study on the controversies surrounding media criticism of the judges following the decisions in the Miller case. The chapter also considers impartiality; the appointment of judges; the need to improve diversity of the judiciary; and the use of judges to chair public inquiries.
Chapter
Essential Cases: Public Law provides a bridge between course textbooks and key case judgments. This case document summarizes the facts and decision in Re Finucane’s Application for Judicial Review [2019] UKSC 7, UK Supreme Court. This case concerns first, the law relating to legitimate expectations, and second the requirements to establish an Article 2-compliant investigation into a death. The facts of the case are connected to the murder of Patrick Finucane by loyalist paramilitaries in Northern Ireland. The document also includes supporting commentary from author Thomas Webb.
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This chapter examines the third element of the tort of negligence, namely, causation. The defendant’s carelessness must be shown to have caused the loss or damage in question. The finding of a sufficient causal link is an essential ingredient in all forms of tort liability (with the exception of torts actionable without proof of damage). The discussions cover the nature of the causal inquiry; but-for causation; and remoteness of damage. There is extensive discussion of the Fairchild principle and the issue of causation in complex cases of liability for occupational illness and disease, with particular reference to the mesothelioma case law.
Chapter
Titles in the Complete series combine extracts from a wide range of primary materials with clear explanatory text to provide readers with a complete introductory resource. This chapter discusses the role of a range of accountability methods to scrutinize the executive’s use of power. This includes the work of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration, who is now also known as the Parliamentary Ombudsman, the role of tribunals in contrast to courts, of public inquiries and of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms too. It also examines the limitations of each of these methods, and how they may complement each other to provide different forms of scrutiny.
Chapter
This chapter examines the various political or diplomatic methods available for international dispute settlement. These methods include negotiation, mediation or ‘good offices’, inquiry, and conciliation. The array of diplomatic techniques available to parties to resolve a dispute is complemented by various means of settling disputes through the application of binding solutions based on the law. Two in particular, arbitration and adjudication, principally developed from earlier forms of non-binding settlement. Though these are different, they are linked by two principal characteristics. Foremost, they allow for a third party to issue a decision that is binding on the parties. Second, resorting to these methods requires the prior consent of the parties. The chapter then considers the International Court of Justice, the ‘principal judicial organ’ of the United Nations. The ICJ’s structure was frequently utilized as a model for later judicial institutions, making an enormous contribution to the development of international law.
Chapter
Essential Cases: Public Law provides a bridge between course textbooks and key case judgments. This case document summarizes the facts and decision in Re Finucane’s Application for Judicial Review [2019] UKSC 7, UK Supreme Court. This case concerns first, the law relating to legitimate expectations, and second the requirements to establish an Article 2-compliant investigation into a death. The facts of the case are connected to the murder of Patrick Finucane by loyalist paramilitaries in Northern Ireland. The document also includes supporting commentary and questions from author Thomas Webb.
Chapter
Essential Cases: Public Law provides a bridge between course textbooks and key case judgments. This case document summarizes the facts and decision in Re Finucane’s Application for Judicial Review [2019] UKSC 7, Supreme Court. This case concerns first, the law relating to legitimate expectations, and second the requirements to establish an Article 2-compliant investigation into a death. The facts of the case are connected to the murder of Patrick Finucane by loyalist paramilitaries in Northern Ireland. The document also includes supporting commentary and questions from author Thomas Webb.
Chapter
This chapter begins with discussions of the role of the judiciary in the UK and its relationships with other institutions. After then looking at some facts and figures on the makeup of the judiciary the chapter considers the issue of judicial independence and how independence can be retained while ensuring that judges are accountable. There is a mini case study on the controversies surrounding media criticism of the judges following the decisions in the Miller 1 case. The chapter also considers impartiality; the appointment of judges; the need to improve diversity of the judiciary; and the use of judges to chair public inquiries.
Chapter
This chapter assesses the contribution of tribunals and Inquiries to the domestic system of administrative law. First there is consideration of the advantages tribunals enjoy over courts as more flexible, specialist, and informal bodies capable of handling a much greater throughput of cases. The chapter proceeds to explain the impact of the Leggatt reforms which have led to the separation of tribunals from parent departments and the introduction of a national two tier system of tribunals under the Ministry of Justice presided over by tribunal judges. The revised framework has certain parallels with the continental style of administrative courts. The chapter also considers the varied role of Inquiries. As well as emphasising the procedural features of Inquires and the effect of the Inquiries Act 2005, the discussion is informed by reference to prominent Inquiries including: the Scott Inquiry, the Shipman Inquiry, and the Leveson Inquiry
Chapter
This chapter focuses on the administrative justice system. Administrative justice refers to the systems that enable individuals to resolve complaints, grievances, and disputes about administrative or executive decisions of public bodies, and to obtain redress. Grievance mechanisms exist to achieve redress and to ensure accountability and improved public administration. They include formal court action through judicial review, but range well beyond the courts to informal, non-legal mechanisms. Whereas a public inquiry may concern a grievance of a larger section of the public and can raise political issues, an inquiry by an Ombudsman concerns a grievance of an individual or small group, with a different fact-finding process. Meanwhile, tribunals determine rights and entitlements in disputes between citizens and state in specific areas of law, such as social security, immigration and asylum, and tax.
Chapter
This chapter examines ombudsmen and other facilities for investigation of the working of government, and the ways in which they can resolve disputes and improve administration. The ombudsmen’s role has four key features: (1) it is independent; (2) it investigates a complaint; (3) it looks for injustice caused by maladministration; and (4) it makes a report. The chapter explains the ombudsman process, the Parliamentary Ombudsman, local government ombudsmen, and the effects of ombudsmen’s reports. The chapter also explains the law on judicial review of ombudsman decisions and judicial review of the way in which public authorities respond to ombudsman reports, and argues that the judicial process has very little to offer in improving the operation of ombudsman schemes. The role of inquiries is also explained, with discussion of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the Inquiries Act 2005, and public authorities’ duties to inquire under the common law and the European Convention on Human Rights.
Chapter
Robert M. Abbey and Mark B. Richards
This chapter considers pre-contract searches, enquiries, and town and country planning. It explains the why, what, and when of pre-contract searches and enquiries; the National Land Information Service; effects of the Law Society Conveyancing Protocol; commercial property enquiries; planning and conveyancing; changes of use; enforcement notices and stop notices; and building regulations.
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