Undercover Policing Inquiry

That this House notes the ongoing independent public Undercover Policing Inquiry, set up to investigate undercover policing in England and Wales since 1968; recognises the concerns raised by Non State Non Police Core Participants (NSNPCPs) and interested campaign groups (including the Campaign Opposing Police Surveillance and Police Spies Out of Lives) that the inquiry is not currently properly accessible to Core Participants or to the public; supports the principle of open justice including that public inquiries should be open and accessible to the public; believes that all Core Participants should be able to fully access and participate in the Inquiry; is concerned that the decision not to have audio and visual live streaming of the inquiry prevents full engagement from participants and prevents public and press access to proceedings; and Supports the calls from the NSNPCPs for full audio and visual live streaming, for the Inquiry to sit with a diverse panel of experts alongside the Chair throughout, for the names of groups subjected to undercover police surveillance to be disclosed publicly alongside the ‘cover’ names of undercover officers to allow those who were subjected to undercover police surveillance to assist the inquiry, for NSNPCPs to receive disclosure of their registry files in full and as a matter of urgency, for the terms of reference to be extended to include Scotland and Northern Ireland, and for trade unions, alongside all participating NSNPCPs to be given funding for legal costs so they are able to fully participate in the inquiry.