Hillsborough: Families of disasters offered public advocate plan

Ninety-seven Liverpool fans died as a result of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster

Families caught up in major disasters will get support from a new panel of experts, the government has announced.

Ministers have been considering the idea for five years under pressure from the Hillsborough families.

The so-called Independent Public Advocate (IPA) will see a panel of experts liaising with families, providing support in areas such as mental health and financial matters.

However, some critics have said the move does not go far enough.

Ninety-seven Liverpool supporters died as a result of a crush during an FA Cup semi-final at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough stadium on 15 April 1989.

In 2016, an inquest jury ruled fans were unlawfully killed amid a number of police errors.

Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said the Hillsborough families' three-decade battle for justice demonstrated the need for victims to be better supported.

"Never again should they struggle in anguish" against a system which "blocked them at every turn", he said.

Former prime minister Theresa May questioned the independence of the scheme

The IPA will be made up of a panel of specialists including social workers, former civil servants, retired doctors, members of the emergency services, people with media experience and community leaders.

They would be brought in following a disaster to support the closest relatives or friends of people who have been killed or seriously injured.

The IPA would:

• Advise on access to financial, physical and mental health services

• Update families on investigations and provide other information

• Make sure they understand their rights and can take part in inquiries

• Advocate for them with public bodies and the government

• Produce a report once all investigations are complete to learn lessons

Mr Raab said preparatory work to establish the IPA was "well under way" and said the government would "place it on a statutory footing as soon as is possible".

"I am sorry it has taken so long to get to this point," he said.

Theresa May, who as Conservative prime minister dealt with the aftermath of the Grenfell disaster and supported the creation of an IPA, said it would act as a "crucial line of communication between victims and government so concerns are addressed quickly".

But she questioned whether the current proposals would allow families to trigger the activation of the panel of advocates without relying on the government.

The government has been accused of blocking a previous Public Advocate (No 2) Bill, proposed by Labour MP Maria Eagle, after it failed to get through the Commons 12 times.

Ms Eagle welcomed government action but said she was concerned it could be a "missed opportunity" and hoped Mr Raab "might be amenable to beefing it up".

Maria Eagle's proposed Public Advocate Bill has been objected to 12 times in the Commons since 2015

Shadow justice secretary Steve Reed said ministers had not given the IPA the power to "torpedo" potential cover-ups before they happened by getting access on behalf of victims to data and documents about disasters.

"Today was a chance to balance the scales of justice and give those victims the voice they need and the power to make it heard," he told the Commons.

"But it's a chance the government has missed."

Mr Raab said in the aftermath of a disaster victims would be consulted about the role of the IPA but the government had to decide because there might be conflicting views.

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In the case of Grenfell, bereaved, survivors and residents of the area set up their own support groups, of which the biggest, Grenfell United, has played a key role in advocating for help with housing and changes to fire safety policies.

Victims of disasters also receive legal representation at public inquiries and coroners' inquests.

Representatives of the Hillsborough Law Now campaign said they would meet Mr Raab but other aspects of their campaign had not been addressed.

The group's director Elkan Abrahamson said engagement from the current government with Hillsborough families had been "almost non-existent".

He said: "We will be taking the justice secretary up on his offer to hear our views on the effective and independent development of this policy.

"Crucially, we will be reminding him of the many other recommendations which remain outstanding."

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