The Government must do more to avoid a repeat of the mistakes made after disasters like Hillsborough, MPs and Lords have warned.
The report on the call for the Hillsborough Act recommended that candor be mandated for all public agencies.
A report released by Parliament's Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) noted that “institutional defence” remains a problem.
Campaigners are calling for new laws to prevent the same trauma and injustice experienced by the families of the 97 Liverpool fans who died in the Hillsborough disaster in 1989.
“Embarrassing.”
These include a legal duty of good faith, guaranteed legal funding for families at inquests and inquiries, and an independent public defender.
Joanna Cherry KC, chair of the JCHR, said: “This week we have also seen how victims of blood-borne infection incidents have had to go through similar hardships.
“It is shameful that their pain was compounded by the delays and uncertainty they faced in their search for the truth and by having to wait decades for justice to be delivered.”
“We are calling on the Government to ensure robust measures are put in place to give families the same investigative powers as public authorities whose reputations are at stake.”
Image source, Hillsborough Inquest
Instead, the city signed the so-called Hillsborough Charter, pledging to put the public interest above its own reputation.
He also announced plans to set up an independent public advocate to help victims of major disasters.
In its report, the JCHR said the events showed the government was “finally starting to listen”.
“We welcome these measures, but we don't believe they are enough.”
Elkan Abrahamson, director of the Hillsborough Law Now campaign and a lawyer at Brodie Jackson Cantor, also drew a comparison to the blood-transfer scandal and suggested the campaign was at a “tipping point.”
“We must overturn this culture of civil servants telling arbitrary lies. How difficult it is to tell the truth,” he said.
“This must stop now before more lives are lost. The next administration must make Duty of Candidacy legislation a top priority.”
The government referred the BBC to comments made by Accountant-General John Glenn during a parliamentary debate on Tuesday.
Asked about the Hillsborough Bill by Ian Byrne, the Labour MP for Liverpool West Derby, Mr Byrne said: “It would have taken a significant effort on the part of individuals to blame the state for what happened, and that has never been necessary.”
“These are broader issues that we have to address, but I don't think we can give justice to what he said today.”
