Senedd set to dissolve Covid committee

Chris Haines, ICNN Senedd reporter

A “kangaroo court” on the Covid-19 pandemic will be formally disbanded after members quit but another Senedd committee will take over rather than a judge-led Wales-specific inquiry.

At least 13,000 people died in Wales during the pandemic but, more than five years later, Senedd scrutiny of the decisions made in Cardiff Bay has stalled – if it ever got going.

Elin Jones, the Senedd’s speaker or Llywydd, announced the end of the “Wales Covid-19 inquiry special purpose committee”, which was set up to look at gaps in the UK inquiry.

In March, Tom Giffard, its co-chair, and his Conservative colleague Sam Rowlands quit the committee after Labour blocked calls for witnesses to swear an oath.

He said he had no confidence in the committee, saying he would no longer associate himself with a process “seemingly designed to protect those it is supposed to hold to account”.

‘Breakdown’

The Welsh Government refused to set up a judge-led Wales-specific inquiry in the wake of the pandemic like in Scotland where a public inquiry was established to learn lessons.

Ms Jones announced the committee would be dissolved in autumn after months of wrangling behind closed doors, with the Senedd’s public accounts committee picking up the baton.

In a statement on July 16, she said: “Due to the breakdown of the co-chair model that was adopted, it hasn’t been possible for the committee to proceed with its work.

“It’s been evident through discussions… that a different model will be required to move forward with the committee’s scrutiny of this vital work.”

Mark Isherwood chairs the public accounts committee which will now lead scrutiny of gaps identified by the Covid committee in its report on module one.

‘Not best placed’

The Conservative expressed concerns about the committee’s capacity and the limited time left in this Senedd term, with an election on the horizon in May 2026.

But he said: “We have agreed to take on the task that has been asked of us to ensure that some scrutiny of these important matters is done within this Senedd – rather than none.

“While there is scope within the committee’s work plan to accommodate some work on module one during the autumn term, this work will be limited and the scope of our work will need to be sharp and focused.

“Our work on module two will depend on when the report is published and will naturally be limited in any event, with issues potentially arising for our legacy report.”

He stressed: “We may not be best placed to pursue this work. And we cannot be sure any outcome will be sufficiently comprehensive to satisfactorily address the issues arising from the module one report, rather than through a Wales-specific public inquiry…. However, we will do our best to conduct work as effectively as we can within these constraints.”

‘Accountability’

Mr Isherwood said the committee will want to take evidence from first minister Eluned Morgan given her responsibility for civil contingencies in Wales.

Mabon ap Gwynfor said: “Unfortunately, the main lesson that we’ve learned over the past few years is that the Welsh Government has an ongoing hatred of accountability.”

Plaid Cymru’s shadow health secretary paid tribute to the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru group for their tireless campaigning on the issue.

Mr ap Gwynfor expressed concerns about the “shambolic” handling of the Covid committee, with months “wasted debating the actual purpose of the special purposes committee”.

He criticised the Tories for “pulling the plug” on a committee they had a hand in setting up, saying: “They’re now proposing to belatedly re-enter the conversation by chairing a separate committee that also doesn’t have any authority to compel oathtaking.”

‘Kangaroo court’

James Evans, the Conservatives’ shadow health secretary, reiterated his party’s position that a specific Covid inquiry is the only way Wales will get the focus and answers it needs.

His colleague Mr Giffard said resigning from the committee he co-chaired was never his preferred outcome but it was better than the alternative: “Presiding over a kangaroo court that would never have got to the bottom of the issues that the families deserve.”

Julie James, for the Welsh Government, urged Mr Giffard, a public accounts committee member, to reflect on his “disgraceful” depiction of the Covid committee as a kangaroo court.

At the outset, families led by Anna-Louise Marsh-Rees feared the “not-fit-for-any-purpose” committee would be whitewashed by politicians marking their own homework,

Following the latest debate, she said: “It’s clear to everyone there must be a Welsh inquiry into the handling of the pandemic in Wales and the continued failure to hold one is because the current government does not want its actions to be scrutinised.”