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A ''public'' inquiry differs from more general inquiries or reviews in that evidence submitted to the inquiry is heard in a public environment. Interested members of the public and organisations may not only make (written) evidential submissions as is the case with most inquiries, but also listen to oral evidence given by other parties. An inquiry is usually chaired by a well-known and well-respected member of the Upper Echelons of British Society , such as Judge , Lord , Professor or senior Civil Servant . The conclusions of the inquiry are delivered in the form of a written report, given first to the government, and soon after published to the public. The report will generally make recommendations to improve the quality of government or management of public organisations in the future. Typical events for a public inquiry are those that cause multiple deaths, such as Public Transport Crashes or Mass Murders . Pressure Groups and Opposition political parties are likely to ask for public inquiries for all manner of issues. The Government of the day typically only accedes to a fraction of these requests. Inquiries are requested not only for the genuine public good, but also in attempt to make the Government look bad - either by allowing the inquiry to go ahead and uncover mistakes by the Government or by making the Government refuse and leave the impression that they have something to hide. A public inquiry generally takes longer to report and costs more on account of its public nature. Thus when a government refuses a public inquiry on some topic, it is usually on these grounds. In the Republic of Ireland, public inquiries, known popularly as tribunals, have become much used in recent years. While they have been the subject of much dramatic revelations in Irish politics, they have also become known for running long beyond their intended length - the extreme case being the Planning Tribunal (previously the Flood Tribunal) which is currently in its eighth year and has heard 615 days of evidence so far. Inquiries in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland are governed under Section 1 of the Tribunals Of Inquiry (Evidence) Act of 1921 (this act, despite being a UK act, also continues to apply for the time being in the Republic of Ireland). The chair of the inquiry is mandated by Parliament to carry out the inquiry by a Warrant of Appointment. The terms of reference of the inquiry are given as part of that warrant. LIST OF SELECTED BRITISH PUBLIC INQUIRIES
LIST OF SELECTED IRISH PUBLIC INQURIES
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