A UK-wide inquiry into Covid-19 will begin by investigating into how well-prepared the country was for a pandemic. Its chair Baroness Hallett also set out an ambitious timetable, with preliminary hearings starting this year, and the first witnesses to be called next spring.
The former High Court judge also confirmed that the inquiry will examine the response to the pandemic in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and said she will spend time in each nation hearing evidence from key organisations and individuals. The Welsh Government has refused to hold a Wales-specific inquiry into its handling of the pandemic.
Baroness Hallett said the inquiry would be split up into modules, with the first - opening today Thursday, July 21, - examining the resilience and preparedness of the UK for the coronavirus pandemic. The second module, which will be dealt with in parts, will look at core political and administrative governance and decision-making by each of the UK's governments. Module three will investigate the impact of Covid, and governmental and societal responses to it, on healthcare systems, including on patients, hospitals and other healthcare workers and staff.
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Baroness Hallett said: "It's time for facts, not opinions - and I will be resolute in my quest for the truth. The inquiry is already gathering evidence and I will be holding public hearings next year. Our work must be swift. The inquiry's scope is broad, so we will start with the most pressing questions - was the UK prepared for a pandemic? I will share more information on our investigations as our plans evolve.
"When meeting those who lost loved ones earlier this year, I was struck by the devastating nature of their loss, exacerbated by the impact of the restrictions in place at the time on their ability to grieve. Millions felt hardship and loss during the pandemic, and for some life will never feel the same again. I will do my very best to undertake the inquiry in a way that acknowledges this suffering, and seeks to reduce the scope for others to suffer in the same way in the future."
Baroness Hallett also set out the inquiry's timetable for the next 12 months. The inquiry's first procedural hearings will begin in September and October for modules one and two. Public hearings for module one will begin in spring 2023 and summer for module two. More information on module three timings will be available in the coming weeks.
People can now consider whether they wish to apply for "core participant status" within the inquiry who will have a particular formal role within any given module. Applications will be open from July 21 to August 16 and more details are available on the inquiry's website.
The inquiry will announce further modules in 2023. These are expected to cover both 'system' and 'impact' issues including vaccines, therapeutics and anti-viral treatment; the care sector; government procurement and personal protective equipment (PPE); testing and tracing; government business and financial responses; health inequalities and the impact of Covid-19; education, children and young persons; and the impact of Covid-19 on public services and on other sectors. The inquiry will be looking at the impact of the pandemic on inequalities at every stage of its investigations.
Baroness Hallett added: "With such a wide scope, I will need to be ruthless. It will be impossible to call every witness relate to every event, issue or major decision. So the inquiry must focus on the key issues. One purpose of this inquiry is to provide a factual narrative account of what happened across the whole of UK. Another is to learn lessons to inform preparations for future pandemics in the UK. I am determined to undertake and conclude the work of this inquiry as speedily as possible, so that lessons are learned before another pandemic strikes.
"I will treat all holders of evidence and witnesses fairly as I'm required to do, but equally I will not hesitate to make my views clear about any organisation or person who stands in the way of the inquiry performing its tasks. I do not have the power to prosecute or have proceedings brought against anyone, let alone fine or imprison people as a result of the acts or omissions in respect to the pandemic."
Welsh Conservative and Shadow Health Minister Russell George MS said he had concerns that only the second module appears to have a sub-module specifically examining Wales. "We’ve had a good relationship with the chair so far and have been pleased by how she has understood the need to consider all the governments of the United Kingdom in this inquiry," he said.
"So, I am disappointed in to see in this framework the potential for the actions of the Labour Government in Cardiff Bay to get lost in a UK-wide investigation. I will be calling on the Baroness Hallett to reiterate her commitment to properly examining devolved governments and reflect this in the inquiry’s workings.
"Of course, Mark Drakeford could do the right thing and order the Wales-specific inquiry we deserve in our search for accountability for the decisions taken – from hospital-acquired infections to school closures to business support – that resulted in the most Covid-related deaths of all UK nations."
A spokesperson from the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru campaign said: "We thank Baroness Hallett for her opening statement and for recognising the 'devastating nature of bereavement'. We are pleased that module two is going to be split by devolved nations and the hearing(s) held in Wales. However we are curious to understand how Wales will receive the proper scrutiny it deserves in modules one and three. We agree with Russell George in reiterating the need for a Wales-specific inquiry to ensure that Wales doesn't get lost amongst the decisions were being taken by other nations."
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