List of public inquiries in the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the term public inquiry, also known as a tribunal of inquiry, refers to either statutory or non-statutory inquiries that have been established either previously by the monarch or by government ministers of the United Kingdom, Scottish, Northern Irish and Welsh governments to investigate either specific, controversial events or policy proposals. Non-statutory public inquiries are often used in order to investigate controversial events of national concern, the advantage being that they are more flexible than the statutory inquiry as they do not need to follow the requirements of the Inquiries Act 2005, The Inquiry Rules 2006 (UK, excluding Scotland) and The Inquiries (Scotland) Rules 2007. Statutory inquiries can be held as subject-specific public inquiries, however most are now held under the Inquiries Act 2005 which repealed the Tribunals of Inquiry (Evidence) Act 1921. Statutory public inquiries, unlike non-statutory inquiries, have legal powers to compel witnesses. This list excludes Public Local Inquiries (which encompasses Planning Inquiries, Compulsory Purchase Order Inquiries, Listed Building Inquiries etc.)

Only United Kingdom government ministers can establish public inquiries, set their terms of reference, and appoint the chair. The UK Government considers that the main purpose of public inquiries is in "preventing recurrence". Between 1990 and 2017 UK governments spent at least £630m on public inquiries, with most expensive being the Bloody Sunday Inquiry costing £210.6 million. Most public inquiries take about two years to complete their work. Of the 69 inquiries launched between 1990 and 2017, the Hammond Inquiry into ministerial conduct relating to the Hinduja affair in 2001 was the shortest, taking just 45 days to report its findings; the Inquiry into Hyponatraemia-related Deaths in Northern Ireland was the longest, taking 13 years and three months.

In September 2024 the House of Lords Statutory Inquiries Committee called for a change in the way public inquiries are set up and conducted. In their report, Public Inquiries: Enhancing Public Trust, it called for "significant improvements to the inquiry system, to make them more efficient and effective and to avoid the costly and wasteful process of inquiries 'reinventing the wheel'". The report recommended:

  • A timescale for inquiries, to avoid unnecessary and excessive costs
  • A newly created Parliamentary Public Inquiries Committee to monitor and report on the steps being taken to implement inquiry recommendations
  • A publicly-accessible online tracker showing how, and when, inquiry recommendations have been put in place
  • More inquiries could be led by an expert, or panel of experts, rather than reliance on a judge – and more consideration be given to making some of them non-statutory
  • The Inquiries Unit of the Cabinet Office be strengthened to ensure "best practice" is shared between inquiries, including on how best to involve victims and survivors
  • Lengthy public inquiries produce interim reports, and others provide regular public updates
  • Victims and survivors should be consulted where appropriate on an inquiry's scope.
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