Public inquiry into handling of Covid pandemic in Scotland to begin by end of year

Probe will begin months before four-nations inquiry promised by Boris Johnson

The Scottish government has announced it will launch a public inquiry into the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic by the end of this year – months ahead of Boris Johnson’s promise of an inquiry in the spring of 2022.

The announcement came after the deputy first minister John Swinney met representatives of the Scottish branch of the campaign group Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice.

A lawyer for the families said the decision put pressure on the prime minister to bring forward his promised four-nations probe, warning that Mr Johnson’s proposed timing was “far too late” and might mean sessions not starting in earnest until 2023 or later.

Publishing aims and principles for the inquiry, the Scottish government said that it will be independent and will look into events causing public concern north of the border, including the spread of coronavirus into care homes.

First minister Nicola Sturgeon said it will be led by a judge and will take a “person-centred, human rights-based approach”.

The Scottish government will “liaise closely” with Westminster and other devolved administrations to avoid “duplication and overlap”, she said.

But she added: “The need for co-operation with other governments is not in my view a reason to delay the establishment of our own inquiry.”

Welcoming the announcement, solicitor Aamer Anwar said Mr Johnson no longer had any excuse for holding back the UK-wide investigation.

“He’s talking about an inquiry in spring 2022, and having been involved in public inquiries what that in reality means is that we could quite easily be looking at a UK inquiry starting around about 2023 and more than likely knocked off track as a result of that,” Mr Anwar told a press conference in Glasgow.

“It appears to the families that delay after delay by Boris Johnson is no longer acceptable, which is why the families demanded that the Scottish government acted differently.

“The pressure is now on the UK government to deliver. Families are demanding in England and Wales, and Northern Ireland that Boris Johnson must deliver. There’s no reason for any further delay.”

Restricted to matters devolved to Scotland, the inquiry will aim to establish the facts behind the pandemic and the explanations for decisions taken by authorities, as well as the reasons why the handling of the outbreak “may not have gone as expected”, and to consider how different outcomes could have been achieved and what lessons should be learnt.

Former health secretary Jeane Freeman has previously admitted that moving elderly patients from hospitals to care homes early in the pandemic without taking the right precautions was a “mistake”.

Ms Sturgeon said in April that she wanted a judge-led inquiry to begin before the end of this year, and would prefer it to be established on a UK-wide basis.

But she came under pressure to go it alone after Mr Johnson said the four-nations probe will not start until the spring.

Scotland has suffered 8,070 of the UK’s recorded 132,000 deaths from Covid-19 and has seen a sharp spike in infections over the past week. Ms Sturgeon today confirmed 10 coronavirus-linked deaths and 4,323 cases have been recorded north of the border in the past 24 hours.

Setting up an inquiry was one of the first minister’s pledges for her first 100 days of the reformed Scottish government following the election on 6 May.

Announcing a consultation, to conclude by 30 September, on the format and terms of reference for the probe, Mr Swinney said: “Since the early stages of our pandemic response we have been committed to a public inquiry into the handling of the pandemic in Scotland, to ensure that lessons are learned for the future.

“The publication of this aims and principles paper, as one of our 100-days commitments, is an important step towards the establishment of that inquiry.

“We will continue to listen to those affected by Covid-19, including bereaved families, on what they wish the public inquiry to focus on.

“Their feedback will be fundamental in reviewing the suggested approach set out here, and setting the terms of reference for an independent Scottish inquiry.

“Discussions are also ongoing with the UK government on the planned four-nations inquiry, to ensure all areas that need to be considered are covered in a way that gives confidence to bereaved families and others.”