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

Found: LIST OF MEMBERS AND DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST Lord Blunkett Baroness Chakrabarti Lord Dholakia Baroness Hallett

Found: I am very encouraged by the fact that the chair of the inquiry, Baroness Hallett, made her first visit

Found: meetingMembers present: Baroness Hamwee (The Chair); Lord Blunkett; Baroness Chakrabarti; Lord Dholakia; Baroness Hallett

Found: inquiry under the Inquiries Act, the conduct of the inquiry is the responsibility of its Chair, Baroness Hallett

Found: meetingMembers present: Baroness Hamwee (The Chair); Lord Blunkett; Baroness Chakrabarti; Lord Dholakia; Baroness Hallett

Found: the meetingMembers present: Baroness Hamwee (The Chair); Baroness Chakrabarti; Lord Dholakia; Baroness Hallett

Found: Commons London SW1A 0AA 24 March 2022 Dear Mr Halfon, Thank you for your letter dated 15 March to Baroness Hallett

Found: Correspondence from the Chair to Baroness Hallett regarding the Government's Draft Terms of Reference

Found: Robert Buckland MP: Yes indeed, Baroness Hallett.

Found: the HIGHGATE CEMETERY BILL Thursday 4 March 2021 (Afternoon) In Committee Room 4a PRESENT: Baroness Hallett

Found: the HIGHGATE CEMETERY BILL Thursday 4 March 2021 (Morning) In Committee Room 4a PRESENT: Baroness Hallett

Found: the HIGHGATE CEMETERY BILL Wednesday 3 March 2021 (Morning) In Committee Room 4a PRESENT: Baroness Hallett

Found: the HIGHGATE CEMETERY BILL Tuesday 2 March 2021 (Afternoon) In Committee Room 4a PRESENT: Baroness Hallett

Found: the HIGHGATE CEMETERY BILL Tuesday 2 March 2021 (Morning) In Committee Room 4a PRESENT: Baroness Hallett

Found: You will have seen last week that an IFI report by Baroness Hallett looking at the Iraq fatality investigations

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.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government has sought external legal advice on disclosures to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.

Answered by Michael Ellis

The Covid-19 Inquiry will play a key role in learning lessons from the pandemic. The final Terms of Reference for the Inquiry were published in June. The Prime Minister accepted all of Baroness Hallett’s recommendations.

The Government does not comment on legal advice it may have received. We will meet our obligations to the Inquiry in full.

The Government is committed to working with the Inquiry to ensure that Baroness Hallett is able to conduct a thorough investigation into the preparations for and the response to the pandemic.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government is using a traffic light ranking system to assess disclosures to the Covid-19 Public Inquiry.

Answered by Michael Ellis

The Covid-19 Inquiry will play a key role in learning lessons from the pandemic. The final Terms of Reference for the Inquiry were published in June. The Prime Minister accepted all of Baroness Hallett’s recommendations.

The Government does not comment on legal advice it may have received. We will meet our obligations to the Inquiry in full.

The Government is committed to working with the Inquiry to ensure that Baroness Hallett is able to conduct a thorough investigation into the preparations for and the response to the pandemic.

Found: Manchester, Counter -Terrorism and Sentencing Bill .......................................... 21 Baroness Hallett

It's vital that we consider a wide range of views within the Covid inquiry - we shouldn't allow it to be blind to areas of important investigation. That's why I signed this letter to the Chairman of the Covid Inquiry Baroness Hallett ✒️ https://t.co/lN2V2dRRCv

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: 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: Baroness Hallett was app ointed Chair in December 2021 a nd in Sp ring 2022 consulted the pu blic on

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: and Accounts 2023-24 16 Case Study: UK Covid-19 Inquiry The UK Covid-19 Inquiry chaired by 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: 10 August 2022 Dear Baroness Hallett UK COVID-19 Inquiry launch statement and initial modules

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: 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.

<p>We were constantly told that the Welsh Government was led by the science. As opposition Members, we are being led by the evidence when it comes to trying to understand how Welsh Government, how special advisers, how the civil servants and other decision makers arrived at the decisions that impacted everyone's lives in this country, and key decisions that either led to life-and-death situations for many people—that was the severity and the magnitude of the decisions that were being taken. And I know, First Minister, that you felt that burden, just like every other decision maker felt it as well. So, I'm not trying to diminish the level of expectation that was on your shoulders, and indeed other decision makers across the United Kingdom. But it is incumbent on us to try and understand how those decisions were arrived at and how they were enacted.</p>
<p>Last week, your senior special adviser, in cross-examination by the chair of the inquiry herself, Baroness Hallett, said that she misused her personal phone for communications within Government. Those were her words; she admitted that. So, under the civil service code that governs the relationship between senior civil servants and also special advisers, given that admission, what action are you taking as First Minister to bring the disciplinary process to bear as it would be used on any minor or junior official if such a disclosure had come about? Or are you prepared not to act and allow such a transgression to get away with it?</p>

<p>At the end of this month, the UK COVID inquiry hearings for module 2B will be heard here in Cardiff. The Welsh Government has, of course, so far resisted establishing a full inquiry into its own handling of the pandemic, in stark contrast with the Scottish Government. According to the First Minister, this is because the UK inquiry represents the best option for scrutinising the decisions that were made here in Wales. Almost eight months since the UK inquiry formally commenced its proceedings therefore, it's worth reflecting on the credibility of this assessment.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Firstly, we heard Baroness Hallett herself acknowledge that the scope of the UK inquiry would not be able to cover every issue relating to Wales. Then, we had both the First Minister and the former health Minister provide their testimonies for module 1 over a single day in July last year, at which the former admitted that Wales was not as prepared as it could have been for the pandemic. We've also discovered that organisations such as the Children's Commissioner for Wales, the Older People's Commissioner for Wales and Cardiff and Vale University Health Board have been denied core participant status, with the latter being told they would not receive the degree of focus that they initially believed. And though this Government has belatedly set up a special purpose committee to cover gaps in the UK inquiry, to date, it's only met four times, always behind closed doors, with the COVID-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru group justifiably concerned about the ability of the committee to go beyond merely duplicating existing work.&nbsp;</p>
<p>So, Minister, do you still believe that a full Wales inquiry into the pandemic is unnecessary, and, if so, why?</p>

<p>Just picking up on that last point, First Minister, if I may—. I accept that this is an evolving picture; it's a live inquiry. But, when I asked Baroness Hallett specifically about expert witnesses just over a month ago, I got a list of the expert witnesses that were appointed by that date. And there were—. Based on the area of instruction that I was given, none of them had any particular specific expertise in relation to Wales. Doesn't, at least, the First Minister—? I understand the point that you've just made that it's not your role as a witness to the inquiry to then tell the inquiry what expertise they need to avail themselves of. But isn't it a legitimate area of concern that, certainly as of 23 March, there were no expert witnesses appointed at that point, with only a few months to go to the beginning of module 1, with expertise in relation to Wales?</p>

<p>I speak on behalf of Plaid Cymru as co-tabler of the motion. All of us in this Chamber represent people affected by this terrible pandemic: people who have lost loved ones, people who want to know that when this happens again—hopefully not in our lifetimes—that Wales can be prepared, as prepared as possible, and as well armed as we possibly could be to make the right decisions next time.</p>
<p>It was obvious we would need an inquiry. We called for one. Welsh Government agreed. But it turns out we were talking about two very different inquiries. For us, it always had to be a Wales-specific inquiry, running side by side with the UK one—why not? There were indeed decisions that were Whitehall based that affected all of us, and areas of shared responsibility too, but so many decisions were rightly taken wholly in Wales by Welsh Ministers, who were held to account here in this Senedd. Budgets were set in Wales. People were treated by dedicated staff in the Welsh NHS. Thousands died across the health and care sectors in Wales. We could only scrutinise those actions properly with a Wales-specific inquiry.</p>
<p>But the Labour Government chose to opt out of that forensic level of scrutiny, choosing instead to leave it all in the hands of whatever inquiry Boris Johnson, at the time, decided to establish. And that, I have no doubt, did a disservice to the people of Wales, the COVID bereaved, and all of us wanting to ensure that lessons are learnt. In March this year—I quote from the Welsh Government's website—the First Minister said that 'concerted representations' had been made</p>
<p>'to the Prime Minister to ensure the experiences of people in Wales will be properly and thoroughly reflected in the inquiry'.</p>
<p>In April, he said:</p>
<p>'I'm pleased to see that there are already strong signs that the inquiry...will be committed to ensuring that the inquiry is conducted in a way that is accessible to people in Wales, and provides them with the answers that they want.'</p>
<p>But it's the chair, Baroness Hallett herself, that gave us the reality. When asked at the start of the inquiry about the level of scrutiny that could be given to issues relating to Wales, she spelt out clearly that she cannot cover every issue. But we have to try to.</p>
<p>Now, whilst I'm still of the view that we need a Welsh inquiry, today's motion offers a pragmatic alternative. Some have suggested that a committee of this Senedd could hold a full Welsh inquiry—I have some concerns about capacity for that—but this motion does spell out what could be done. If the UK inquiry cannot possibly cover all issues, let us do the gap analysis, if you like; identify what isn't being given the scrutiny it needs, and then focus on seeking answers around those issues. What possible objection could Government and Labour Members have to that? They tell us they agree with the need for answers, that we need to learn lessons. Well, here's a way, cross-party, using the parliamentary tools at our disposal as a Senedd.</p>
<p>We know what some of the gaps are. We can already get to work. Some elements relating to Wales aren't even in the scope of the UK inquiry. The Welsh Government didn't even challenge the fact that there was no Welsh element to the preliminary hearing on module 1 on pandemic preparedness. Looking at the timetable, it's clear there won't be time—</p>

<p>That is the body that will be able to scrutinise those decisions made by the Welsh Government and other Welsh bodies, which drew on the relationships between decisions made in Wales and Whitehall, the scientific advice that was received, not just in Wales, but at a UK level, the often complex funding streams that shaped the decisions that were made, procurement decisions, guidance decisions, that plethora of issues that crossed the border between Wales and the United Kingdom every single day and which only a UK-wide inquiry will be able to scrutinise, and on which only a UK inquiry will be able to provide answers to the questions that people, including those families, very properly need and deserve to have answered.</p>
<p>And the reason why the UK inquiry is able to have that forensic look at the decisions that were made in Wales is because of the way we worked with the UK Government to make sure that the terms of reference of that inquiry will provide—[<em>Interruption</em>.] No, I’m not taking any interventions. The reason why the UK inquiry is able to do the work in the way that it will be able to do is because of the agreement we made with the UK Government so that, as the Prime Minister of the time, Boris Johnson, said, it would guarantee that the UK inquiry would have a significant Welsh dimension to everything that it did. And I think the way in which the UK inquiry is going about its work already demonstrates that commitment: the way in which it works through the medium of the Welsh as well as the English language; the first place Baroness Hallett visited was to come here to Wales, and she herself has met with members of the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group here in Wales.</p>
<p>And the work of that inquiry has already started. We in the Welsh Government are already in receipt of a series of complex requests for information and for statements, all of which we will provide, and we are already in the process of selecting and sharing the relevant material from the nearly 10 million documents that we have identified as in the possession of the Welsh Government alone that relate to the two years of the pandemic. Our responses and statements will help the inquiry to make the enquiries that it is committed to making about the way in which the pandemic was dealt with here in Wales.</p>
<p>Llywydd, let me address today’s motion directly. It suggests that a Senedd committee should consider aspects of the COVID experience in Wales that might not receive sufficient attention by the Hallett inquiry, and let me be clear that, if that concern materialises, then the motion’s central proposal, a special purpose committee, is one that the Government can and will support. What I had hoped to do was to lay an amendment this afternoon that would have allowed the Senedd to focus on how and when it would be possible to identify any unanswered questions or areas of incomplete scrutiny so that the work of a special purpose committee could be focused on that, on those gaps. Now, I’ll think carefully about the points I’ve heard made in today’s debate, Llywydd, but the most straightforward approach would be to receive the Hallett report, then to see if and when and where any gaps have emerged, and then to allow a special purpose committee to discharge the remit suggested, which is to fill in any gaps should the UK inquiry not be able to answer them for Wales.</p>
<p>Now, unfortunately, we’ve not been able to make that way of proceeding debated this afternoon, and, for those reasons, the Government side will have to vote against the current motion. However, we will do so in order to bring forward our own motion for debate in Government time. That motion will accept the case for a special purpose committee on the basis that I have set out this afternoon, and will allow the Senedd to give our proposals its full consideration.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Llywydd, first of all, I thank the leader of the opposition for what he said. We know that he himself has had experience of just how difficult an illness COVID can be, and he's right to draw attention to the fact that thousands of people continue to fall ill from COVID every week here in Wales. That has an impact in those individuals' lives, and it has an impact on our ability to sustain public services and private businesses as well. COVID certainly isn't over.</p>
<p>I read what Baroness Hallett, Judge Hallett, said in opening that particular part of the inquiry. I don't think myself she was suggesting that she would do more if she could. She was simply explaining to people that, within the timescales available to her and her determination to produce a report within the timescale that can have an influence on the way in which future decisions are made, in everything that she does, she will have to focus on the issues that she believes to have the most potential to provide good information, answers and guidance for the future. I'm very happy to leave the inquiry to her now, and that's what we will be doing.</p>

<p>Llywydd, I've explained on numerous occasions here why I believe that the answers that patients and their families in Wales deserve to get when we look back at the events of the pandemic, that those answers are best secured through a Welsh participation in a UK inquiry.</p>
<p>I welcome very much the fact today that the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group here in Wales has secured core participation status in front of the UK inquiry. I had written to them earlier this year supporting their application for core participation status. That will mean that they will be able to ensure that the voice of those people who are members of their group will be heard in that inquiry. I believe from the meetings I've had with them—I've met with them five times—that, unlike the leader of the opposition, they are moving on from continuing to ask for something which is not going to happen. Let me be clear about that. I've told you time and time again, there will be no inquiry of that sort here in Wales. They are moving on to put their energies and their efforts into making sure, as I want to see, that their questions are properly rehearsed, and the best answers provided in front of the Baroness Hallett inquiry.</p>