§ 16. Mr. John Huntasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he takes, when appointing a barrister to conduct a local public inquiry, to ensure that his other professional commitments will not lead to an excessive delay in producing the report of such an inquiry.
§ Dr. SummerskillThe appointment for this purpose of barristers in private practice necessarily entails some delay in the preparation of reports, and sometimes a longer delay than either the barrister or I would wish, because the extent of his future commitments cannot always be foreseen. That is a disadvantage that we think the House should accept for the sake of having such inquiries conducted by an independent barrister from outside the public service.