Grenfell Tower Inquiry Judge Promises “Vigorous” Investigation
Grenfell Tower Inquiry Judge Promises “Vigorous” Investigation
Theresa May has chosen retired Court of Appeal judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick to head the inquiry into the Grenfell Tower disaster, which killed at least 80 people. In a written statement to Parliament, the Prime Minister said: “We must get to the truth about what happened. No stone will be left unturned by this inquiry, but I have also been clear that we cannot wait for ages to learn the immediate lessons and so I expect the chair will want to produce an interim report as early as possible”. She has confirmed that the cladding on Grenfell Tower did not comply with building regulations.
Sir Martin, whose appointment was recommended by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Thomas of Cwngiedd, commented: “It is vitally important that the inquiry be open, transparent and fair to all those whose involvement with Grenfell Tower comes under scrutiny. It is important for everyone that the inquiry should establish as quickly as possible the cause of the fire and how it was able to spread so quickly to the whole of the building”.
To date, cladding from 137 high-rise buildings in 41 local authority areas in England has failed fire safety tests. However, Sir Martin cast doubt as to how far the probe will consider this, suggesting it could be limited to the cause, how it spread, and preventing a future blaze. On calls for a wide-reaching examination of the tragedy, he said “There may be other ways in which the desire for that investigation could be satisfied”.
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Full legal support for tenants
Mrs May has insisted that Grenfell Tower residents will be given a say over the direction of the investigation, and that the survivors and families of those who died in the devastating blaze will be given full state funding for legal representation at the inquiry.
Robert Bourns, President of the Law Society, has suggested that cuts to legal aid potentially discouraged tenants in Grenfell Tower from taking forward safety concerns that could have prevented the tragedy. Certain categories of housing claims are no longer eligible under cuts introduced by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO). The Law Society has published its own review of the act, and its impact on society and the justice system, finding that the £450m cuts it made to the legal aid budget “[fell] disproportionately on the most economically deprived and vulnerable members of society”.
Speaking at the report’s launch, Mr Bourns commented that as a consequence, the vulnerable and less well-off were presented with a series of difficult choices: “to pay for their own legal advice, represent themselves, or be excluded from the justice system altogether”.
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice David Liddington has questioned whether anyone raising serious concerns over safety would have been denied legal aid. Speaking on Radio 4’s Law in Action he defended the provision of legal aid, noting that it is available to tenants with concerns about safety issues. He added: “The Legal Aid Agency advice so far is that they have no record of the Grenfell Action Group [or tenants] having applied for legal aid”.
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