Covid Bereaved group criticises lack of Welsh witnesses in UK Inquiry

Martin Shipton

Welsh families who were bereaved during the pandemic have pointed out how the latest UK Covid Inquiry hearings have been largely devoid of evidence from Wales.

In a post to X, the campaign group Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru stated: “Module 3 @covidinquiryuk resumes on Monday continuing the Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on Healthcare Systems in the 4 Nations of the UK However… you don’t have to be eagle eyed to have spotted in first 5 weeks: *Only 2 witnesses from Wales; *No one from Wales represented [from] TUC, health & safety, GPs, ambulance, paramedics, emergency medicine, intensive care, clinically vulnerable, maternity, migrant workers & most importantly for us – IPC [infection prevention and control], despite Eleri Davies @PublicHealthW [Public Health Wales] being chair of UK IPC Cell.

“Next week guess what? No Wales again. Last time we checked Wales is in the UK and healthcare is devolved.

“@MarkDrakeford @Eluned_Morgan @Jeremy_Miles @WelshGovernment must be shouting about the lack of scrutiny from the top of Pen y Fan. Do let us know if you’ve heard them.”

17 witnesses 

Next week’s hearings will take evidence from 17 witnesses – none of them from Wales.

Recently the Covid Bereaved group raised major concerns about what they see as the inadequacies of the Senedd Wales Covid-19 Inquiry Special Purpose Committee, established in Spring 2023 following talks between then First Minister Mark Drakeford and Andrew RT Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservative Senedd group.

The group issued a statement to Nation.Cymru that said: “We are deeply concerned about the approach and effectiveness of the Senedd Covid Committee established to identify gaps in the UK Covid-19 Inquiry. Despite being established 17 months ago, it has become increasingly clear that this committee is failing in its duty to represent Wales and scrutinise the critical lessons that must be learned from the pandemic.

“It is glaringly obvious that Wales has been largely overlooked by the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, whose focus is predominantly on England. Meanwhile, Scotland, as a similarly devolved nation, has established its own independent Scottish Covid Inquiry, with a strong set of terms of reference that work in tandem with the UK Inquiry. This is the model we want for Wales – a dedicated independent inquiry that ensures the experiences, decisions, and consequences specific to Wales are fully examined.

“Our concerns about the Senedd Covid Committee are manifold:

* Lack of Transparency: Shockingly, 10 of the 12 meetings held by the committee to date have been conducted in secret. There was a stakeholder session, but this was cut short because the committee couldn’t answer our questions and a session with ‘experts’ who had no knowledge of Wales and provided inaccurate information. This is wholly inconsistent with the values of openness and transparency that the Senedd is supposed to uphold. We believe that the public deserves to know what is being discussed in their name and how these crucial decisions are being made.

* Committee Instability: The committee has experienced multiple changes in its membership over the course of its operation. This lack of consistency undermines the committee’s ability to maintain focus and deliver meaningful outcomes. Without stable and continuous membership, it is impossible to expect coherent and effective scrutiny of the Covid-19 response in Wales.

* Failure to Engage with Bereaved Families: Despite being core participants in the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, as bereaved families, we have not been formally invited to contribute to or provide feedback on the committee’s work. Our voices, representing the families most affected by the pandemic, must be heard, and our exclusion from this process is unacceptable.

* Lack of Progress: After 17 months, the committee has produced no reports, documents or meaningful outputs. In contrast, the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, although lengthy, has been thorough and detailed in its examination of the pandemic response, albeit predominantly in England. We are the only core participants of the modules asking vital questions about Wales in the UK Inquiry, and we see no evidence that the Senedd Covid Committee has the skills, resources, or time to bridge any gaps in this process.

* Independent: The UK Covid-19 Inquiry is a statutory public inquiry. It’s independent from political persuasion and that is important. The Senedd Committee is hosted by politicians, half of whom belong to the party who made the decisions that are to be investigated. Mixing politics and examination is never going to achieve any plausible outcome.

No faith

They added: “In light of these serious concerns, we have no faith that this committee can effectively scrutinise the Welsh response to the pandemic. The lack of transparency, consistency, and engagement is deeply troubling, and we believe there is no other option than to establish a Wales Covid Inquiry. We call on the Welsh Government to follow Scotland’s lead and ensure that the people of Wales are not left without answers or accountability for the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The Welsh public, especially those of us who have lost loved ones to Covid, deserve the same level of inquiry and investigation as other devolved nations. We need to learn lessons to ensure that we are better prepared for future public health crises. This will not happen if Wales continues to be treated as an afterthought in the ongoing UK-wide process.”

The Covid campaign group renewed its call on the Welsh Government to establish a Wales-specific Covid Inquiry.

Sympathies

A Welsh Government spokesperson responded: “Our thoughts and sympathies are with everyone who lost loved ones during the pandemic.

“Full scrutiny of the decisions made by Welsh Ministers and Welsh public services, together with their interconnected nature with those taken by other UK governments, can only be achieved by a comprehensive UK-wide inquiry.

“We continue to engage fully with the inquiry to ensure all actions and decisions taken by the Welsh government are fully and properly scrutinised.”

The Senedd Wales Covid-19 Inquiry Special Purpose Committee issued a statement to us that said: “We cannot underestimate the pain and trauma that many across Wales faced throughout the pandemic, and we understand why there has been a debate around how in Wales we respond to what happened.

“Our committee has been given a very specific remit, which was agreed by a majority of Members of the Senedd. This commits us to looking at the reports of each stage of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry and recommending to the Senedd any gaps that need further examination.

“We are only able to begin work on identifying these gaps when the UK COVID-19 Inquiry reports. We are now considering the most recent report from the UK Inquiry – which was published in July.

“{We have] agreed that we will now continue our work at pace, including launching a further public consultation and stakeholder engagement event with all interested people and groups.

“Those who lost their lives or whose lives were changed forever, and their families, are at the heart of what we are doing.”