00:00It's being described by ministers as landmark legislation.
00:04The Public Office Accountability Bill, better known as the Hillsborough Law,
00:08is now beginning its journey through Parliament.
00:11The Justice Secretary, David Lammy, who's also Deputy Prime Minister,
00:15says it's about honouring the extraordinary courage of campaigners
00:18who have fought for decades for truth and justice
00:21after disasters such as Hillsborough, Grenfell and the infected blood scandal.
00:26The bill had its first formal reading in the Commons in September
00:29and has now had its second reading.
00:32The government says it represents seismic changes in the way the state is held to account.
00:37Central to the legislation is a new legal duty of candour,
00:40meaning that public officials must be honest and transparent when disasters occur.
00:45Any attempt to mislead the public could lead to criminal sanctions.
00:48The bill also proposes the biggest expansion of legal aid in a decade
00:52with automatic, non-means-tested support for bereaved families at inquests.
00:57Ministers say that will help level the playing field between ordinary people in the state.
01:02David Lammy says the new law will ensure truth and justice no longer have to be prized from closed doors
01:08and that grieving families will never again be left to fight alone.
01:11For those affected by Hillsborough, when 97 football fans died in 1989,
01:17and for the survivors of that disaster and Grenfell Tower and the post-officer rise in IT scandal,
01:23it's been seen as a long-awaited turning point.
01:26Paula Sussex, the Parliamentary Health and Service Ombudsman,
01:28said the bill's duty of candour can be a defining moment in how our democracy works,
01:33adding that trust between government and citizens must be rebuilt
01:36through fairness, accountability and respect.
01:39Campaigners say the hills below could finally embed truth and accountability in public life.
01:44All right.
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