The final report on the outcome of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, which saw its final hearings in November 2022, has been delayed again.
In an update posted on its website, the Inquiry panel confirmed that it was continuing to make progress in drafting the final report, but the Rule 13 process, which stipulates that those who “may be subject to criticism” must be written to and informed beforehand, was “proving time-consuming”.
“Not only do we have to allow recipients a reasonable time to respond to potential criticisms, but we also have to analyse their responses in order to decide whether we need to modify our provisional conclusions or the way in which we have expressed them. Nonetheless, we are probably over halfway through the process, having sent out over one hundred letters so far,” the update reads.
Following a lengthy Inquiry that spanned more than four years, the publication of the final report was initially earmarked for autumn of this year, as reported by The Guardian, but this was delayed until early 2024. Now the Inquiry panel confirms that it may not be ready until the summer:
“The amount of evidence, both oral and documentary, that the Inquiry has collected makes the drafting of a report a very time-consuming task and the process of preparing and printing a work of this size will take a considerable number of weeks. As things stand, the report will not be published before April next year, but the Panel hopes to be able to send it to the Prime Minister before the next anniversary of the fire with publication soon thereafter. In due course, we will write to all CPs [core participants] about the arrangements for publication.”
Earlier this year, it was reported that officers from the Metropolitan Police had interviewed over 40 people as part of the investigation into the fire, making it one of the “largest and most complex” cases ever carried out by the force.
“If the police investigation concludes there is sufficient evidence to consider criminal charges in relation to the fire, a file will be submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service for a decision. We have had regular engagement with the CPS since the beginning of the investigation and continue to do so.
“We are in an unusual situation where our police investigation and the public inquiry are being conducted at the same time,” the force said.
The Inquiry update confirms that draft chapters regarding “the history of the refurbishment, the response of central and local government, and…the LFB have been completed and warning letters have been sent to those who are likely to be criticised”. It added that responses to many of the letters had also been received. Other draft chapters relating to the manufacturers of products and certification bodies are also nearly complete, with warning letters still to be sent out.
As of November 2023, over 20,000 documents have been disclosed in Phase 1 of the Inquiry and nearly 300,000 documents disclosed in Phase 2, giving some indication of the extent of detail to be expected in the final report.