Important note: This is an archive of the website that was formerly at www.morrisinquiry.gov.uk. It is being hosted on the MPA website for archival purposes only and may contain out-of-date information.

This resource from the About section of the Morris Inquiry website discusses confidentiality and anonymity of submissions to the Inquiry.

Sections available here:

• Confidentiality and anonymity

Confidentiality and anonymity

The Inquiry wants to hear from all those who wish to give evidence to the Inquiry and have information relevant to its terms of reference. Initially those wanting to contribute are invited to make a written submission. The Inquiry will then decide if they wish to ask those individuals to give evidence at a hearing.

Generally submissions will be published on the Inquiry’s website.

However, the Inquiry is sensitive to the fact that some individuals may be reluctant to contribute without assurances that their personal details will be kept confidential. Others may be reluctant to have all or part of their submission made public.

It is unlikely that the Inquiry will consider material that is submitted to it on a wholly anonymous basis (i.e. when no name or other identifying details are given). Doing so could give rise to unfairness.

However, where submissions are sent to the Inquiry by individuals who identify themselves but are not prepared to allow their evidence to be used unless they first obtain an assurance that their identity will not be disclosed, the Inquiry will consider in each case whether to agree to that request.

If the Inquiry is not prepared to agree to the request, the submission will not be accepted unless the individual agrees to his/her identity being disclosed. It will then not be published and, unless it has been submitted electronically, the submission will be returned to the individual who made it. Where it has been submitted electronically, it will be deleted from the Inquiry’s system and any hard copies will be destroyed.

The same procedure applies where someone who makes a submission is not prepared for some or all of it to be published. The Inquiry will consider the request and if the Inquiry does not agree that some or all of the submission can be kept confidential and not published, it will be returned to the person who made the submission, unless that person changes his/her mind.

The Inquiry has to act fairly and this will often mean that, if it receives information which is critical of an individual, it will need to give that individual an opportunity to comment on what has been said about them.

This gives rise to a particular problem if a submission is made by someone who wishes their identity not to be disclosed. It may not be possible to act fairly towards those who have been criticised in the submission without revealing the identity of the person who has made the submission.

For this reason, submissions are unlikely to be considered by the Inquiry if they:

1. include allegations against other individuals; and
2. the individual against whom the allegation is made could not properly comment on that allegation without the identity of the person who has made the submission being disclosed.

In these circumstances, these individuals may wish to take advice from a lawyer. In the case of police officers or police staff, advice may also be taken from a union or the Police Federation or one of the staff associations. They may also speak to one of a number of organisations who provide assistance and support to individuals who are concerned about saying what they want to openly because they are fearful of the possible consequences for themselves or others. (Details of one of these organisations is set out below.)

Submissions of a more general nature may, however, be accepted in some instances on the basis that the identity of the person making the submission is not disclosed so long as the provider of the information is prepared to identify themselves to the Inquiry.

Similar considerations apply to requests to give evidence in private. The Inquiry will, as stated at its launch, generally sit in public, although in exceptional circumstances it may exercise its discretion to sit in private.

If you have any queries about how this procedure will operate or wish to discuss your own submission, please contact the Secretary to the Inquiry on 020 7152 4522/4523.

A number of organisations exist to provide assistance to those who may wish to make disclosures about matters of public interest but who are fearful of the consequences of doing so. One such body is Public Concern at Work, the whistleblowing charity, whose telephone number is 020 7404 6609.

In this section:

• Terms of reference
  The Inquiry's terms of reference and commissioning brief introduce the aims and role of the Inquiry.
• Protocol
  The protocol indicates how the Inquiry will conduct its business.
• Confidentiality & anonymity
  Information about submitting evidence to the Inquiry where it is wished that the evidence remains confidential and/or anonymous.
• How to contribute to the Inquiry
  This section contains details of how to submit written evidence to the Inquiry.
• Biographies
  Biographies of the Inquiry panel members.
• Translations
  Details about how to get hold of information in languages other than English.
• The Inquiry Team
  A photograph of the Morris Inquiry Team.
• The Inquiry room
  A photograph of the room where hearings take place.