Public Inquiries
Debate between Baroness Twycross and Baroness Hoey(2Â weeks, 1Â day ago)
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Baroness Hoey
To ask His Majesty’s Government what criteria are used when deciding on which subjects to carry out public inquiries.
The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office, and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Baroness Twycross) (Lab)
With apologies to your Lordships’ House, it is me again. Public inquiries can establish facts about what happened in order to learn from events and reduce the likelihood of recurrence. When deciding whether to establish an inquiry, Ministers consider a number of factors including its objectives, whether and why alternatives are not appropriate, the inquiry’s likely duration, the likely costs—including those that are deliverable and realistic—and whether the public interest outweighs those costs.
Baroness Hoey (Non-Afl)
My Lords, why does the Ministry of Defence continue to oppose the requests for a public inquiry from the 29 bereaved families of the Chinook helicopter crash on the Mull of Kintyre? The Ministry of Defence stated that the evidence had already been considered and no further investigation was warranted. However, it is now reviewing thousands of documents and asking the families themselves to help identify the evidence relating to airworthiness. Will His Majesty’s Government please tell the families how this can be reconciled with a Government committed to a duty of candour in the Hillsborough law? Does this not demonstrate precisely why the MoD should not be left to investigate its own conduct, and why an independent review is now necessary to restore the families’ and the public’s confidence? Surely, seeking justice should have no expiry date.
Olympics and Paralympics: Competitors in Female Categories
Debate between Baroness Twycross and Baroness Hoey(1Â year, 11Â months ago)
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Baroness Twycross (Lab)
I agree with the noble Baroness that social media is not an appropriate way of assessing athletes’ eligibility to participate in sports. Our sports councils have produced guidance providing domestic sports bodies with a framework to set their own policies for who can participate in their sports. Their guidance, which I read in preparation for this Question, is very pragmatic and based on where we are as a society. It was published after extensive consultation and a review of the existing scientific research. The guidance recognises that there need to be different solutions for different sports, and that the needs of all groups must be considered.
Baroness Hoey (Non-Afl)
My Lords, is this not all about fairness, safety and equality for women in sport? Does the Minister not agree that the only way that we can have real equality for women’s sport is for women in the different sports to be able to compete separately from men where they do not wish to compete against men?
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
The sports councils’ guidance recognises the need for solutions for different sports, reflecting the points that the noble Baroness raised. It found two diametrically opposed camps, as has been reflected in the Chamber today, on the inclusion of trans women. The guidance found that you cannot easily reconcile inclusion with fairness and safety in sport; it is more straightforward with male sport. The sports councils also recognised, as I feel strongly should your Lordships’ House, that society is changing. Simply keeping the existing arrangements in sport will not accommodate inclusion and will not serve anyone well.