Gaps in UK Covid Inquiry strengthen the case for an independent Wales-specific probe

Martin Shipton

There has been a renewed call for a Wales-specific Covid Inquiry after a Senedd committee identified nine “gaps” that fail to take account of the Welsh dimension in the way the pandemic was handled.

The Senedd’s Covid Committee was tasked with identifying areas that needed to be examined in more detail in Wales.

It discovered a total of nine gaps, which will be presented in a motion to the whole Senedd for debate next week.

They include:

* a need to review the most effective resilience and preparedness model for Wales;

* effectively learn from Local Resilience Forums and from those with a particular interest in decision-making power in civil contingencies in Wales on how roles and responsibilities can be better clarified and accountability improved;

* review the ways data access and sharing occurred in Wales both vertically and horizontally during emergencies;

* consider the effectiveness of the clarity, timeliness, coordination, and integration of communication of policy and guidance relating to the public messaging about the pandemic and how this can be improved in the future; * review the need to better clarify the interplay of civil contingencies across borders and where responsibilities are shared, unclear or complex;

* review how leading resilience practices and processes can be shared across relevant organisations in Wales;

* review how societal inequalities in a Welsh context could be better incorporated into the preparedness and resilience processes and structures;

* review the benefits of a Wales-specific approach that incorporates learning from communities and resilience experts, to strengthen Wales’s resilience systems and structures consider the most effective way for Wales to approach the implementation of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry Module 1 report recommendations, including whether there are sufficient resources to implement recommendations such as emergency and pandemic response exercises; and how implementation of the recommendations will be effectively monitored in Wales.

Scrutiny

If the Senedd agrees the motion, the Committee will then work to provide Wales-specific scrutiny beyond the work done by the UK-wide Inquiry.

Committee co-chairs Joyce Watson MS and Tom Giffard MS said: “Today we launch the first report of the Covid-19 Inquiry Special Purpose Committee. It is the result of months of comprehensive work to assess and identify potential gaps for further examination from the findings of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s Module 1 report.

“The pandemic was a painful and traumatic experience for many in Wales. We are extremely grateful for the insights and experiences shared by everyone who assisted us with our work, including our public consultation and stakeholder event.

“We have detailed our conclusions and highlighted each area we believe requires further examination.”

The Wales COVID-19 Inquiry Special Purpose Committee was set up in May 2023 with a specific remit – to look at the reports at each stage of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry and propose to the Senedd any gaps identified in the preparedness and response of the Welsh Government and other Welsh public bodies during the pandemic.

The UK COVID-19 Inquiry’s Module 1 report on the resilience and preparedness of the UK was published in July 2024.

To identify any gaps in the Module 1 report, the Committee undertook comprehensive engagement and evidence gathering. This included a gap analysis report by civil contingency experts from Nottingham Trent University, as well as taking into account the response from the Welsh Government to the Inquiry report.

Consent

The motion asking for the Senedd’s consent to undertake further examination of the nine gaps will be debated in the Senedd on Wednesday, April 2, making it the first time a Senedd Committee’s work programme will be decided by a vote in Plenary.

But Anna-Louise Marsh-Rees, group lead for the campaign group Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru, said: “Years ago, when our Welsh Labour Government refused to hold a Wales Covid Inquiry, they assured us that Wales would receive thorough scrutiny within the UK Covid Inquiry. We did not believe this. Even Baroness Hallett, the chair of the UK Inquiry, explicitly stated that she could not examine Wales in detail.

“Under pressure, the then First Minister, Mark Drakeford, conceded that if Wales was not sufficiently scrutinised, he would revisit his decision to block a Wales-specific inquiry. Instead of taking meaningful action, he agreed to establish a Senedd Special Purpose Covid Committee tasked with identifying gaps in each module of the UK Inquiry.

“The Committee has now, after two years of private sessions delivered its Module 1 analysis, and, unsurprisingly, it has identified gaps in the scrutiny of Wales. As bereaved families, we now find ourselves in the absurd position of having both a Senedd Committee and the UK Covid Inquiry confirming what we already knew: Wales is not being properly scrutinised. As the only core participant from Wales we could have listed the gaps 2 years ago and saved the Welsh public the costly external advice.

“This raises a critical question: what next? How can a committee of six unqualified Members of the Senedd be expected to conduct rigorous questioning of witnesses? How can they achieve proper accountability without the authority and expertise of a public statutory inquiry? The entire process undermines not only our calls for justice but also the integrity & rigour of the UK Covid Inquiry itself.

“Both Mark Drakeford and current First Minister Eluned Morgan have publicly stated that they would reconsider their opposition to a Wales Covid Inquiry if scrutiny was found to be lacking. The gaps have now been officially identified – so what more proof do they need?

“The pandemic response in Wales was a Welsh Government responsibility and it resulted in an unprecedented loss of life in Wales. It requires Welsh specific scrutiny, and a parliamentary committee is no substitute for a public inquiry. We have always maintained that Wales deserves what Scotland has—a fully independent, judge-led Covid Inquiry.

“Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru call on the Welsh Government to stop hiding behind political manoeuvres and deliver the independent Wales Covid Inquiry that bereaved families and the people of Wales deserve. The Welsh public must get the answers so badly needed about what went wrong in Wales.

“Justice delayed is justice denied.”