Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff have been employed by the OBR in each year since it was established.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) was established by the Budget Responsibility and National Audit Act 2011. Its annual report and accounts, which are laid before Parliament and published on its website, set out detail on the number of staff employed at the end of March in each year.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much the OBR has cost the public purse for each year since it was established.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) was established by the Budget Responsibility and National Audit Act 2011. Its annual report and accounts, which are laid before Parliament and published on its website, set out in detail the OBR’s expenditure and funding for each year since its establishment.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the official closing date under section 14 of the Inquiries Act 2005 was for the public inquiries entitled (a) Robert Hamill Inquiry and (b) Billy Wright Inquiry.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Section 14(1) of the Inquiries Act 2005 sets out that for the purposes of the Act, an Inquiry comes to an end either:
(a) on the date, after the delivery of the report of the inquiry, on which the chairman notifies the Minister that the inquiry has fulfilled its terms of reference, or
(b) on any earlier date specified in a notice given to the chairman by the Minister.
In the case of the Robert Hamill Inquiry, the original Inquiry Chair, Sir Edwin Jowitt, advised the then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Rt Hon Owen Paterson MP, on 25 February 2011, that the Inquiry Panel had fulfilled its Terms of Reference. However, following announcement by the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland in December 2010 of criminal proceedings against three individuals on charges of perverting the course of justice, it was agreed that the Inquiry Report would not be published or submitted to the Secretary of State until the conclusion of those legal proceedings. At that point, the Report was placed in a secure independent location, only accessible to the Inquiry Chair, Secretary and Solicitor. These legal proceedings have now concluded. A new Chair, Sir John Evans, was appointed on 7 October 2024 due to Sir Edwin unfortunately being unable to continue in the role. Steps are now being taken to publish the report.
The Billy Wright Inquiry report was published on 14 September 2010 with the Inquiry Chair, Lord MacLean, advising the then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Rt Hon Owen Paterson MP on 12 December 2010 that the Inquiry had fulfilled its Terms of Reference in line with section 14 of the Inquiries Act 2005.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the official closing date under section 14 of the Inquiries Act 2005 was for the public inquiry entitled ICL Inquiry.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The independent public inquiry entitled ICL Inquiry, officially closed when its final report was presented to the House of Commons and the Scottish Parliament under Section 26 of the Inquiries Act 2005 in July 2009.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the official closing date under section 14 of the Inquiries Act 2005 was for the public inquiry entitled Al-Sweady Inquiry.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The final report of the Al-Sweady Inquiry was published on 17 December 2014. The last members of the Inquiry staff were released in January 2015 and final administrative wind-up procedures completed in March 2015.The chair of the Inquiry, Sir Thayne Forbes, wrote to the then Secretary of State confirming the fulfilment of his terms of reference (a so-called Section 14 letter), on 20 March 2015.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the official closing date under section 14 of the Inquiries Act 2005 was for the public inquiries entitled (a) Inquiry into the circumstances of the Death of Bernard Lodge at Manchester Prison on 28 August 1998 and (b) Azelle Rodney Inquiry.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Chairs of the Bernard Lodge and Azelle Rodney Inquiries completed their investigations and submitted reports, which were published on 15 December 2009 and 5 July 2013, respectively.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the official set up date under section 5 of the Inquiries Act 2005 was for the public inquiry entitled Inquiry into the circumstances of the Death of Bernard Lodge at Manchester Prison on 28 August 1998.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Bernard Lodge inquiry was commissioned initially as an ad hoc investigation with no statutory powers. The investigation was converted to a statutory inquiry under section 15 of the Inquiries Act 2005 on 23 February 2009.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the official closing date under section 14 of the Inquiries Act 2005 was for the public inquiries entitled (a) Anthony Grainger Inquiry, (b) The Litvinenko Inquiry and (c) Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
a) The Anthony Grainger Inquiry published its report on 11 July 2019.
b) The Litvinenko Inquiry published its final report on 21 January 2016.
c) The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) closed under section 14 of the Inquiries Act on 31 March 2023.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the official set up date under section 5 of the Inquiries Act 2005 was for the public inquiries entitled (a) Jermaine Baker, (b) Manchester Arena Inquiry and (c) Anthony Grainger Inquiry.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The official set up dates are as follows:
a) The Jermain Baker Inquiry: 12 February 2020
b) The Manchester Arena Inquiry: 22 October 2019
c) The Anthony Grainger Inquiry: 17 March 2016
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the official closing date under section 14 of the Inquiries Act 2005 was for the public inquiry entitled Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Inquiry.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust was set up on 9 June 2010 when Sir Robert Francis was appointed as Chair of the Inquiry. On the same date, this was announced to Parliament by the then Secretary of State for Health, Andrew Lansley.
Sir Francis submitted his final report to then Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, on 5 February 2013, which officially closed the public inquiry. The report was published on 6 February 2013.