Overview

This bill establishes a Public Advocate to support the families of those who die in major incidents involving large-scale loss of life, providing advice and acting as a data controller for those families. The Advocate will investigate, report on, and assist families in navigating the aftermath of such events.

Description

The Lord Chancellor will appoint the Public Advocate, who will be funded by Parliament. The Advocate's role is triggered when, in their opinion, an event causing significant loss of life involves serious health and safety issues, regulatory failures, or other serious concerns. This requires a request from over 50% of representatives of the deceased and/or injured survivors. Representatives are primarily close family members (spouse, child, parent, etc.), with a specific order of precedence defined in the bill.

Advocate's Functions

The Advocate's functions include reporting to representatives on investigations, making reports available to all qualifying persons, and potentially establishing an Advocate's Panel. This panel, acting as a data controller, will review all relevant documentation and publish a report. Public authorities must provide documentation to the Panel, unless disclosure is prohibited for reasons of national security, defense, legal constraints, or ongoing police investigations. The Information Commissioner can resolve disputes over withheld information.

Reporting Requirements

The Advocate must submit annual reports to the Lord Chancellor, reports at the conclusion of support for a particular event and reports whenever necessary. The Lord Chancellor will then present these reports to Parliament.

Government Spending

The bill mandates that the Lord Chancellor pay the Advocate's expenses and any allowances determined by the Secretary of State from money provided by Parliament. No specific figures are provided in the bill.

Groups Affected

• Families of the deceased: Will receive support, advice, and representation in the aftermath of major incidents.
• Injured survivors: May participate in triggering the Advocate's involvement and benefit from the Advocate's functions.
• Public authorities: Will be required to provide information to the Advocate's Panel unless specifically exempt.
• The Lord Chancellor: Responsible for appointing the Advocate and receiving and presenting their reports to Parliament.
• The Information Commissioner: Will resolve disputes about information withheld by public authorities.
• The Advocate: Will have significant responsibilities in investigating, advising, and coordinating support for those impacted by large-scale loss of life events.

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