Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing an independent inquiry into the death of Robbie Powell in 1990.

The Government offers its deepest sympathy to the parents of Robbie Powell for the tragic loss of their son in 1990.

Robbie Powell’s death has been the subject of a number of investigative and judicial processes over the last 30 years. The intense scrutiny of Robbie’s case, provided through these reviews, suggests that it is unlikely that a further inquiry would reveal anything which has not been uncovered already, or would identify further significant lessons to be learned.

Even though the events occurred prior to the devolution of the National Health Service, this should not prevent the National Assembly for Wales from considering this case.