royal commission

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In the UK and Canada, a group of people appointed by the government (nominally by the sovereign) to investigate a matter of public concern and make recommendations on any actions to be taken in connection with it, including changes in the law. In cases where agreement on recommendations cannot be reached, a minority report can be submitted by dissenters.

Royal commissions are usually chaired by someone eminent in public life, often someone favourable to the government's position. No royal commissions were set up during the Thatcher administration (1979–90) but the practice was revived by her successor, John Major (1990–97), who appointed, in 1991, a royal commission on criminal justice, chaired by Lord Runciman, which reported in 1993.

In 1997, the Labour government of Tony Blair appointed a royal commission to examine the system of long-term care for the elderly in Scotland and an independent commission, chaired by Lord Jenkins, to recommend a new ‘broadly proportional’ system of voting for Westminster elections.

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