Found: In May 2017, Baroness Hallett, then a Lady Justice of Appeal, delivered a lecture entitled Trial By

Found: Baroness Hallett went around the country seeking people’s views on the terms of reference, and they

Found: established 17/12/14, chaired by Lady Smith; Coronavirus (UK), established 12/05/21, chaired by Baroness Hallett

Found: Correspondence from Baroness Hallett, Chair, UK COVID-19 Public Inquiry, re UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry

Found: Correspondence from Ben Connah, Inquiry Secretary, UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry, re letter to Baroness Hallett

Found: covid inquiries in addition to this one, including the independent UK covid-19 inquiry led by Baroness Hallett

Found: inquiries are currently taking place, including the independent UK Covid-19 Inquiry4 led by Baroness Hallett

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department’s policies of the reports by the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government welcomes the inquiry’s investigations, including the recent Module 2 report. The Government thanks Baroness Hallett and her team for their thorough work on these serious issues. We will consider the findings and recommendations in detail and respond in due course. The Government remains committed to learning the lessons needed from the COVID-19 Inquiry to protect and prepare us for the future.

The Government will also provide regular progress updates on commitments made following reports. The first progress update, on the Inquiry’s Module 1 report on resilience and preparedness, was published 8 July 2025, and is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-government-response-to-the-covid-19-inquiry-module-1-report/uk-government-uk-covid-19-inquiry-response-module-1-implementation-update

It included an update on the Department’s commitments, such as the intention to publish a health and care pandemic preparedness strategy. The next update is scheduled for January 2026.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how the needs of the Clinically Extremely Vulnerable, as distinct from the disabled, will be addressed in the UK COVID-19 Inquiry.

Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)

The UK COVID-19 Inquiry is independent of the Government. The process, procedure and timing of the Inquiry are matters for the Chair, Baroness Hallett.

On 16th January 2023 the Chair designated the group Clinically Vulnerable Families as a Core Participant for Module 3 of the Inquiry which covers healthcare systems in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is for the Inquiry itself to provide any further detail on the important issue of how the needs of the Clinically Extremely Vulnerable will be addressed.

The Government is committed to learning from the Covid-19 Inquiry’s findings which will play a key role in informing planning and preparations for the future; it continues to work closely with the Inquiry.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government when the UK COVID-19 inquiry will complete; and whether they will put a cap on the (1) time frame, and (2) cost, permitted.

Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)

Under the Inquiries Act 2005, the process, timing and procedure of the Inquiry are decisions for the Inquiry’s independent Chair, Baroness Hallett. The Chair is under a statutory obligation to avoid unnecessary costs in the Inquiry’s work and she has been clear that she intends to complete her work as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Found: assessments of spending during and after the pandemic. 1.9 The UK COVID-19 Inquiry, chaired by Baroness Hallett

Found: assessments of spending during and after the pandemic. 1.9 The UK COVID-19 Inquiry, chaired by Baroness Hallett

Found: On 21 July 2022, Baroness Hallett, the Inquiry Chair, made an opening statement and launched the Inquiry

Found: On 21 July 2022, Baroness Hallett, the Inquiry Chair, made an opening statement and launched the Inquiry

Found: The opening statement was made by Baroness Hallett on 21 July 2022, which saw the launch of Module 1

Found: UK COVID Public Inquiry The UK COVID Public Inquiry was launched on 21 July 2022 by Baroness Hallett

Found: The UK Covid -19 Inquiry has been set up, chaired by Baroness Hallett, to examine the UK’s response to

Found: is to take into account the investigations which have already been conducted by the Coroner (Baroness Hallett

Found: This Investigation was begun by Baroness Hallett; I took over on 31 July 2022. 1.2 This Report also

Found: As Baroness Hallett rightly stated, risks and emergencies do not recognise borders.

Found: Yesterday, Baroness Hallett published her report from the first module of the UK covid-19 inquiry, which

Found: At the conclusion of the Module 4 evidence session in June 2024, Inquiry Chair Baroness Hallett shared

Found: and Accounts 2023-24 16 Case Study: UK Covid-19 Inquiry The UK Covid-19 Inquiry chaired by Baroness Hallett

Found: Following a letter from the ICO to her consultation on the Covid Inquiry’s terms of reference, Baroness Hallett

Found: Following a letter from the ICO to her consultation on the Covid Inquiry’s terms of reference, Baroness Hallett

Found: As Baroness Hallett rightly stated, risks and emergencies do not recognise borders.

Found: Also, regarding the public Inquiry into Covid -19 led by the Noble Baroness Hallett, we have always

Found: • The UK Covid-19 Inquiry, chaired by Baroness Hallett, has published details of the first 7 modules

Found: Director of Inquiry Set-up has now written to me to ask that I reiterate that message following Baroness Hallett

Found: The Inquiry Chair, Baroness Hallett, will consider all evidence submitted in respect of the United Kingdom

Found: The Inquiry Chair, Baroness Hallett, will consider all evidence submitted in respect of the United Kingdom

Found: The UK Government has also set up an inquiry, chaired by Chair, Baroness Hallett, under the Inquiries

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with people living with vaccine injury, and whether it will consider meeting with representatives of such people in the coming months.

Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health

It is important to acknowledge that vaccines are medicines and like all medicines they can have side effects and, on rare occasions, cause injury. Thankfully, most side effects are mild and short lived, but the Scottish Government recognises that some are not.

The Scottish Government has corresponded with the Scottish Vaccine Injury Group on several occasions, and has routinely signposted members of the public to the vaccine damage payment scheme when they have raised issues of vaccine–related injury. The safety of medicines, including vaccines, and the subject matter of the Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme are matters which are reserved to the UK Government, therefore we are unable to comment on individual cases.

The Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry is currently underway and the forthcoming Module 4 of the UK COVID-19 Public Inquiry on Vaccines and Therapeutics will consider vaccine safety and other aspects, such as potential reforms to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme.

The Scottish Vaccine Injury Group is a core participant of both the UK and Scottish Inquiries and as such has a central role. Due to the group’s involvement with the Inquiries, it would not be appropriate for Ministers to meet with them at this stage.

I advised through recent correspondence with the Scottish Vaccine Injury Group that I would be open to meeting with representatives of the group once Module 4 of the UK Inquiry has concluded, and after Baroness Hallett has issued my recommendations. This would facilitate a full and open discussion to take place between both parties, where recommendations could be discussed, especially if there were any the group felt weren’t full addressed as part of the inquiry.

Found: 01 April 2022 Dear Baroness Hallett UK COVID-19 Inquiry draft terms of reference The Welsh

Found: independent UK Covid-19 Inquiry draft terms of reference, and for sight of your response to its chair Baroness Hallett

Found: 10 August 2022 Dear Baroness Hallett UK COVID-19 Inquiry launch statement and initial modules

Found: I do not believe that the announcements made by Baroness Hallett have materially changed the position

Found: established to respond to the UK Covid -19 Inquiry, to review reports issued by Rt Hon the Baroness Hallett

Found: In Recommendation 7 of the Module 1 report, Baroness Hallett refers to the need for external expertise

Found: The inquiry chair, the Rt Hon Baroness Hallett DBE, has made 10 key recommendations, aimed at the UK

Found: preparedness of the United Kingdom Welsh Government response Ministerial Foreword The Rt Hon Baroness Hallett

Found: We thank Baroness Hallett and her team for their work and for today’s report.

Found: “I am pleased that Baroness Hallett has been appointed to lead the UK-wide Covid-19 public inquiry.