Call for public inquiry into Duchy of Cornwall's role in deciding new laws (From Falmouth Packet)

Call for public inquiry into Duchy of Cornwall's role in deciding new laws

7:00am Thursday 6th September 2012 in News

Mebyon Kernow has re-iterated its call for a full public inquiry into the Duchy of Cornwall and Cornwall’s ambiguous constitutional relationship with the Crown.

The call follows the announcement that the Information Commissioner has ruled that the Cabinet Office must release the guidelines on how the consent of “The Crown” and “The Duchy of Cornwall” need to be obtained before certain bills can be passed into law.

The Information Commissioner has also ruled that the Cabinet Office must detail which criteria ministers apply before asking the royals to amend draft laws, which has been described by constitutional lawyers as “a royal nuclear deterrent.”

Speaking on behalf of Mebyon Kernow, Cllr Loveday Jenkin said: “For many years, there has been a cloak of secrecy surrounding the position and role of the Duchy of Cornwall. The powers-that-be have also refused to debate the constitutional significance of the Duchy and how this relates to Cornwall’s past and future.

“This recent ruling from the Information Commissioner may shed some much-needed light on the Duchy, but we need to go further.

“We need a full Public Inquiry into the Duchy of Cornwall and Cornwall's ambiguous constitutional relationship with the Crown, as well as the contradictions between Cornwall’s constitutional status and current administrative arrangements.”