An inspectorate or inspectorate-general (or general inspectorate) is a civil or military body charged with inspecting and reporting on some
institution
Institutions are humanly devised structures of rules and norms that shape and constrain individual behavior. All definitions of institutions generally entail that there is a level of persistence and continuity. Laws, rules, social conventions a ...
or institutions in its field of competence. Inspectorates cover a broad spectrum of organizations which vary in a number of terms, notably whether and to the degree to which they become involved in criminal investigations; the extent to which they achieve independence from the institutions being inspected; as well as the nature of their inspection regimes and reporting processes.
Inspectorates are commonplace in government; for example, in the United States, there are some 73 standard form
Office of the Inspector General
In the United States, Office of Inspector General (OIG) is a generic term for the oversight division of a federal or state agency aimed at preventing inefficient or unlawful operations within their parent agency. Such offices are attached to ma ...
s charged with examining the actions of a government agency, military organization, or military contractor as a general auditor of their operations and headed by an
inspector general. Inspectorates in various jurisdictions oversee civil activities such as mining and the nuclear industry. Many
regulatory agencies
A regulatory agency (regulatory body, regulator) or independent agency (independent regulatory agency) is a government authority that is responsible for exercising autonomous dominion over some area of human activity in a licensing and regulatin ...
incorporate inspectorate functions relating to markets and the companies operating in those markets.
Belgium
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Flemish Care Inspectorate
The Netherlands
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Health Care Inspectorate
UK
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His Majesty's chief inspector
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Active Travel England
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Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency
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His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary
His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), formerly Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), has statutory responsibility for the inspection of the police forces of England and Wales, and since ...
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HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate
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Drinking Water Inspectorate The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) is a section of Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) set up to regulate the public water supply companies in England and Wales.
Based in Whitehall, it produces an annual report showing th ...
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Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate
The Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate is a division of the Employment Relations Directorate, part of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, which is meant to oversee employment agencies operating in the United Kingd ...
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Fish Health Inspectorate
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HM Inspectorate of Mines
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is a UK government agency responsible for the encouragement, regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare, and for research into occupational risks in Great Britain. It is a non-depar ...
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Planning Inspectorate
The Planning Inspectorate for England (sometimes referred to as PINS) is an executive agency of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities of the United Kingdom Government with responsibility for making decisions and providing reco ...
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His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills
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His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons is the head of HM Inspectorate of Prisons and the senior inspector of prisons, young offender institutions and immigration service detention and removal centres in England and Wales. The current chief inspe ...
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HM Inspectorate of Probation His Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation (HMIP) is a statutory body and independent UK inspectorate funded by the Ministry of Justice, formed in 1936.
Role and functions
HMIP reports to the Secretary of State for Justice on the effectiveness of the ...
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His Majesty's Railway Inspectorate
Established in 1840, His Majesty's Railway Inspectorate (HMRI) is the organisation responsible for overseeing safety on Britain's railways and tramways. It was previously a separate non-departmental public body, but from 1990 to April 2006 it ...
– now superseded by the Railway Safety Directorate of the
Office of Rail Regulation
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is a non-ministerial government department responsible for the economic and safety regulation of Britain's railways, and the economic monitoring of National Highways.
ORR regulates Network Rail by setting it ...
, the director of which is known as the Chief Inspector of Railways
Scotland
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Care Inspectorate (Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland)
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His Majesty's Inspectorate of Education
His or HIS may refer to:
Computing
* Hightech Information System, a Hong Kong graphics card company
* Honeywell Information Systems
* Hybrid intelligent system
* Microsoft Host Integration Server
Education
* Hangzhou International School, ...
(Scotland)
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His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland
His or HIS may refer to:
Computing
* Hightech Information System, a Hong Kong graphics card company
* Honeywell Information Systems
* Hybrid intelligent system
* Microsoft Host Integration Server
Education
* Hangzhou International School, ...
Wales
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Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales
Care may refer to:
Organizations and projects
* CARE (New Zealand), Citizens Association for Racial Equality, a former New Zealand organisation
* CARE (relief agency), "Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere", an international aid and ...
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Care Standards Inspectorate for Wales
Care may refer to:
Organizations and projects
* CARE (New Zealand), Citizens Association for Racial Equality, a former New Zealand organisation
* CARE (relief agency), "Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere", an international aid and ...
*
Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales
Chief may refer to:
Title or rank
Military and law enforcement
* Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force
* Chief of police, the head of a police department
* Chief of the bo ...
*
Healthcare Inspectorate Wales
The Senedd (; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, it makes laws for Wales, agrees certain taxes and scrutinises the Welsh G ...
Northern Ireland
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Education and Training Inspectorate, Northern Ireland
Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. V ...
Vietnam
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Government Inspectorate
The Government Inspectorate ( vi, Thanh tra Chính phủ) is a Ministry (government department), ministry-level agency in Vietnam that exercises the function of state administration of inspection, citizen reception, complaint and denunciation s ...
Military branches
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