RQIA Compliance Review Powers
Hyponatraemia Inquiry · Report of the Inquiry into Hyponatraemia-related Deaths · Issued 31 January 2018 · Addressed to: Northern Ireland Executive, Department of Health NI
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority ('RQIA') should review overall compliance and consideration should be given to granting it the power to prosecute in cases of serial non-compliance or serious and wilful deception.
Hyponatraemia Inquiry, Report of the Inquiry into Hyponatraemia-related Deaths · 31 Jan 2018 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
Publicly available evidence relating to this recommendation:
- RQIA prosecution powers for serial non-compliance with the duty of candour have not been granted.
- A fundamental review of RQIA's role was announced but delayed by NI Assembly suspension (2022-2024).
- No further published evidence of progress towards prosecution powers has been identified.
Sources
How was this evidence gathered?
Response — verbatim from government
●Northern Ireland Executive — initial response
Training protocols updated. Competency requirements incorporated into medical education and continuing professional development.
Northern Ireland Executive · 1 Mar 2018 Written response →
●Department of Health NI — follow-up
RQIA remit under review. Consideration being given to expanded oversight powers but prosecution powers not yet granted.
Department of Health NI · 1 Mar 2018 Written response →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
- 6 Feb 2026 · Department of Health NI / RQIA RQIA's remit remains limited. Prosecution powers for serial non-compliance have not been granted. Fundamental regulatory reform requiring legislation has not occurred. View source → Insufficient Progress
Each entry above links to a primary source — gov.uk written statement, consultation response document, or inspection report. The Index does not characterise government intent; it tracks what has been published.
How this page is built
Source and Response are verbatim from primary documents. The Evidence trail records published activity since — written statements, consultation outcomes, inspection findings, parliamentary references. The Index does not paraphrase or characterise intent; it tracks what has been published. Where the evidence is the absence of action (a missed deadline, a slipped timetable), that absence is documented from primary sources rather than inferred.
This recommendation's data is verified periodically against primary sources. The Index is monitored for staleness weekly.