Responding to the government’s announcement that it will accept all the recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry (1), Green MP Carla Denyer urged the government to accept her Private Members’ Bill on preventing future deaths.
Carla’s Bill calls for the creation of a National Oversight Mechanism which would have responsibility for ensuring that recommendations made following inquests and inquiries are followed. Currently, there is no body which has this responsibility.
Reacting to the government’s statement, Carla Denyer MP said:
“The deaths of 72 people in the Grenfell tower fire was an unimaginable tragedy, but worse, it was an avoidable tragedy. We owe it to those who lost their lives to make sure nothing like this happens again.
“I welcome the Government’s commitment to taking forward all of the report’s recommendations, a vital first step towards justice.
“The Grenfell Inquiry recognised a failure of the state to properly follow up on the recommendations made by inquests and inquiries – meaning that too often, changes needed to prevent people from harm are simply not made. Time and time again, bereaved families go through the trauma of reliving the circumstances of a loved one’s death at an inquest only for the lessons from that death to be forgotten.
“We urgently need an organisation responsible for making sure that recommendations from inquests and inquiries are actually followed, rather than being forgotten. I have put forward a Bill to create a National Oversight Mechanism for state-related deaths, which would do just that. It would be an independent body, able to scrutinise government action so bereaved families don’t have to be the ones fighting for change.
“The National Oversight Mechanism proposal has the support of over 70 organisations, including Grenfell United, Amnesty, the Mayor of London, and the Institute for Government. It recently featured as a recommendation in the Health Services Safety Investigations Body’s report on deaths of mental health patients. It’s clear that this is badly needed, and I hope the government will support my Bill.”