Covid inquiry will be ‘fair, open and thorough’ in its investigation

The Scottish Covid inquiry will carry out a “fair, open and thorough investigation” into the handling of the virus in Scotland, it has pledged – but its focus right now is on establishing the necessary systems to allow the work to take place.

Staff are still being appointed to work on the inquiry, to ensure that this is of a level to deal with a “pandemic which has affected all of the Scottish population”.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry stressed the importance of having the necessary “infrastructure” in place.

They spoke out after lawyer Aamer Anwar, who represents the families of some of those who died in care homes after contracting coronavirus, demanded to know why the inquiry is “taking so long”.

In August 2021, First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, had promised the judge-led inquiry would begin work before the end of the year.

But it was December 14 before Deputy First Minister John Swinney announced the inquiry would be chaired by Court of Session judge Lady Poole, who said at the time she was “honoured” to undertake the work.

Lady Poole said then that her “immediate focus” would be on “getting the right people in place to support me and establishing the necessary systems”.

And in response to Mr Anwer, a spokesperson for the inquiry said that this process was “ongoing”.

Lady Poole has “already met a number of different organisations representing those affected by the pandemic, including bereaved families in January 2022,” the inquiry spokesperson confirmed.

These meetings were described as being “extremely important and informative” and will “help shape the Inquiry’s investigations in the months ahead”.

The spokesperson pledged: “The inquiry is independent of Government and will carry out a fair, open and thorough investigation.”

They explained: “Following Lady Poole’s appointment in December 2021, the main focus has been to get the right people and systems in place to support its work.

“The quality of the inquiry’s investigations and resulting recommendations depends on the inquiry having infrastructure to enable it to do its job.

“Because it is an independent inquiry, those systems have to be set up from scratch.”

The spokesperson continued: “That process is ongoing and additional staff are being appointed to build the inquiry team to a level which reflects of scale of a pandemic which has affected all of the Scottish population.

“In its establishment period, the inquiry’s focus of necessity is building processes which will enable it to function efficiently and deliver its recommendations as quickly as possible.”

Mr Anwar, meanwhile, has said he is seeking a meeting with Scotland’s top prosecutor, Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain QC, “to advise the families we represent why her inquiry into deaths in care homes is taking so long, and whether charges of corporate homicide will now follow”.

His comments came in the wake of a ruling from the High Court on Wednesday that the UK Government had acted unlawfully by allowing people to be discharged from hospital into care homes without a Covid-19 test.