Independent Public Advocate

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Thanked the Secretary of State for advance sight of his statement, highlighting the struggle of Hillsborough families for justice over three decades. Criticised the current proposal as not going far enough to prevent future cover-ups, suggesting a fully independent public advocate accountable to victims' families with data controller powers.

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Welcomed the decision to introduce an independent public advocate but raised concerns about victims' rights to initiate IPA independently and the ability of IPA to compel evidence provision.

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Welcomed the proposal but argued it did not go far enough, lacking independence and data controller status for early access to truth preventing cover-ups.

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I pay tribute to the right hon. Member for Garston and Halewood, a fellow member of the Justice Committee, for her work on this issue and to the former Prime Minister for highlighting the risk of cover-ups by those in authority. While I welcome what the Secretary of State has said, I hope that when engaging on refining these proposals, he looks again at extending legal aid availability as recommended by the Justice Committee.

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I welcome the Secretary of State’s acknowledgment that legislation for an independent public advocate is necessary but criticise today's announcement as a weak signposting service rather than a fully independent public advocate. Will he adopt the Bill tabled by my right hon. Friend, which includes specific powers for such an advocate?

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I join other Members in welcoming today’s statement and recognise the legislative process ahead to strengthen the role of the IPA. Can I ask my right hon. Friend how “survivors” will be defined? Will it simply include those with life-changing injuries or also those who have been mentally affected by a disaster?

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I thank the Secretary of State for coming to the House today and his willingness to legislate. However, nothing less than an independent public advocate acting at the behest of families with specific powers will do. How is he engaging with Members on this issue and how has he engaged with bereaved families ahead of this announcement?

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I warmly welcome this announcement by the Government of the establishment of an independent public advocate, and I pay tribute to the right hon. Member for Garston and Halewood who has worked tirelessly on this issue. Can my right hon. Friend tell us in more detail how he will ensure that the families of the bereaved from the Hillsborough disaster are fully involved in the practicalities of establishing the advocate?

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I share my right hon. Friend's view on this issue, wondering if the Secretary of State has read previous debates in Hansard about compelling the Government to release papers on Hillsborough and getting transparency over information. I also ask what he plans to do regarding extending the duty of candour to public servants.

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Will my right hon. Friend explain at what point and under what circumstances the availability of the advocate will be triggered? Could it involve inquiries or inquests?

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As you know, Madam Deputy Speaker, I was at the Hillsborough disaster. Along with my right hon. Friend the Member for Garston and Halewood (Maria Eagle), I worked closely with the families, particularly in the lead-up to the decision of the independent panel, so we know quite a bit about the impact on families and what families and victims want. What does “independent” mean? If it is truly independent, it means that Ministers have no role in it whatever.

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A lot of the statement is welcome and will hopefully rebalance the position for families and victims, not least since they have had the unedifying experience of facing phalanxes of lawyers, knowing they were being paid for by their own taxes and by public funds to sometimes cover up the impact on their relatives. However, I do not find myself particularly persuaded on the points made by the Secretary of State around the compulsion of evidence, which strikes me as something that needs to be part of this. In his preparation work, what timeline has he set for this institution being up and ready, pending the legislation coming through the House?

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I put it to the Secretary of State that, in the case of the contaminated blood scandal, Governments failed to acknowledge what actually happened for decades, even though thousands of people had been harmed and died. How would this independent public advocate work in circumstances where incidents happen over many years and across many parts of the United Kingdom, and where Governments fail to come clean about the involvement of the state for years and deny that there was a problem? What confidence would victims actually have in a situation where the Government decided whether an independent public advocate was appointed?

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I agree fully with my right hon. Friend when he says getting the detail right is vital in this process. I am pleased with the tone he has taken in his comments about being willing to work with Members from across the House to reach the right settlement for victims and ensure that this process is right for the future. Will he expand more on the panel he is planning? In particular, will victims be fully represented?

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I pay tribute to the Hillsborough families and all those affected for their tireless campaigning over decades to establish the truth of what happened and their determination to ensure that other families do not have to suffer the injustices they have been forced to endure. I pay tribute in particular to the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) and my right hon. Friend the Member for Garston and Halewood (Maria Eagle) for all their hard work on this matter. The Secretary of State talks about a conflict between the IPA and any inquiry. Surely he must recognise that it is vital that victims and families feel confident that they have a truly independent advocate.

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I join colleagues in paying tribute to my fellow member of the Justice Committee, the right hon. Member for Garston and Halewood (Maria Eagle), for her long campaigning on this issue, which the whole House recognises. I am interested in the issue of legal representation that other Members have raised. How would the IPA interact with that, and what support might be there in accessing legal advice when, as others have said, it may face public bodies with well-funded legal teams that family members will not necessarily have access to?

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For bereaved families to have confidence in an independent public advocate, it needs to be truly independent of Government. That means acting on the directions of families and not the Secretary of State, exercising the powers of a data controller and being empowered to establish independent panels. Will the Justice Secretary commit to meeting with the Hillsborough families with a view to revising his proposals and bringing them in line with what the Hillsborough families have long been calling for?

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I understand that the Secretary of State could not divulge the detail of today’s announcement to the families who had been campaigning, but does he believe they would recognise the independent advocate he has announced as what they have been campaigning for on behalf of the people they lost?

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Chloe Rutherford and Liam Curry from South Shields were tragically murdered in the Manchester Arena terror attack. Archaic law on terror attacks prevents their parents from registering their precious children’s deaths. Last week they again met Ministers, who this time treated them with contempt, patronised them and insulted them. In that meeting, it became clear that they have been misled by the Government for nearly a year: the law can be changed but the Government simply choose not to change it. Registration is now imminent. The IPA will not help them or other families. How on earth can they believe the Secretary of State when he says that victims and the bereaved are at the heart of his response?