Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many national public inquiries there have been since 2004; and what was the average (1) cost, (2) length, and (3) fee paid to the lawyers involved.

Since 2004, His Majesty’s Government has established 21 non-statutory inquiries, 24 statutory inquiries under the Inquiries Act 2005, and one inquiry under other legislation, on a broad range of subject matters. 30 of the total 46 inquiries have formally completed. Several of these statutory inquiries had previously been established as non-statutory inquiries or inquests.

The length of completed inquiries in this period ranges from 1 to 99 months, and published costs vary significantly from between £0.2m and £194m. The Cabinet Office does not centrally hold data on legal costs. Further information can be found on inquiry and departmental websites and in the National Archives.