PRESS RELEASE 21st March 2023 – IN THE UK COVID-19 PUBLIC INQUIRY BEFORE BARONESS HEATHER HALLETT IN THE MATTER OF THE PUBLIC INQUIRY TO EXAMINE THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN THE UK
PRESS RELEASE 21st March 2023
IN THE UK COVID-19 PUBLIC INQUIRY BEFORE BARONESS HEATHER HALLETT IN THE MATTER OF THE PUBLIC INQUIRY TO EXAMINE THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN THE UK
MODULE 2A PRELIMINARY HEARING
STATEMENT BY AAMER ANWAR ON OUR LEGAL SUBMISSIONS TODAY FOR THE SCOTTISH COVID BEREAVED
This morning we made legal submissions on behalf of the Scottish Covid Bereaved at the Second Preliminary Hearing. Module 2A of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, which will look at and make recommendations on the Scottish Government’s core political and administrative decision-making in response to the Covid-19 pandemic between early January 2020 and April 2022. The new date for the hearing of Module 2A is Monday 15th January 2024– Thursday 1st February 2024. We made a number of submissions which included :-
SUBMISSIONS ON FORMER HEALTH SECRETARY MATT HANCOCK- DISCLOSURE OF WHATSAPP MESSAGES
At the last preliminary hearing Baroness Hallett’s responded to our submission on the leaking of the Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock- Disclosure of Whatsapp Messages. The families we represent welcomed the Chair’s recognition of the impact on the bereaved seeing the WhatsApp messages being disclosed without any kind of notice. The Chair assured the bereaved that this Inquiry will make every possible effort to ensure that they have investigated all the messages and their content before completing any kind of examination of the role of the previous Secretary of State for Health, but that the Inquiry would consider whether all Mr Hancock’s records have been disclosed.
Whilst we appreciate inquiries are ongoing the Scottish Covid Bereaved are anxious that answers are received to these questions as soon possible. Bereaved families across the United Kingdom have over the last few weeks watched the corrosive unseemly drip feed of Mr. Hancock and others Whatsapp messages played out for comment in the public arena. Some of the allegations contained in the Daily Telegraph are deeply horrifying and upsetting for the families we represent. Shockingly over 100,000 WhatsApp messages of the former Health Secretary Matt Hancock containing over 2.3 million words were leaked and if what is contained within those texts is correct it shows that Ministers of the State at the highest level were making decisions on lives via WhatsApp. We reiterated that that there is only one forum in which the deaths of their loves can be robustly and transparently investigated and that is the UK Inquiry in partnership with the Scottish Public Inquiry.
The bereaved families believe no individuals no matter how powerful can be allowed to interfere with the pursuit of truth by this Inquiry. The families believe any attempts to curtail the scale and depth of the investigation carried out by the Public Inquiry and cast doubt on the format which the Scottish Covid Bereaved have campaigned so hard for would be a betrayal of their loved ones who lost their lives to Covid.
Whilst the families we represent accept that the media have played an important role in campaigning to uncover the failures by the UK Government and must continue to do so in relation to its handling of the pandemic, it is only this Inquiry that can deliver a legacy and uncover the full scale of what happened in every part of the United Kingdom.
The families we represent welcome that Lady Hallett has made it clear she will not bow to the pressures of external interference and await the outcomes of the inquiries into Mr. Hancock, however we would ask that similar scrutiny is applied to all Government Ministers Devolved or not. We welcomed Lady Hallett’s response this morning to our submissions- “I have no control over the disclosure of the WhatsApp messages from Mr. Hancock, I can’t control it in any shape or form but what I can do is assure the bereaved that this Inquiry is in the process of obtaining all relevant WhatsApp messages from all relevant groups not just those from Mr Hancock and therefore this Inquiry will conduct a full and thorough investigation.. an analysis of all the messages.. for all the public of the United Kingdom”
IMPACT ON REFUGEES & ASYLUM SEEKERS
Today we also asked if consideration could be given to involving Refugees for Justice along with other groups– whom we understand were refused core-participant status in Scotland because the issues of immigration/asylum are reserved to Westminster. These individuals are key members of the community who were heavily impacted by Covid-19, both in terms of illness, isolation and lack of access to medical support or resources. The membership of Refugees for Justice was significantly involved at grass roots level with asylum seekers who were moved from their safe accommodation to hotels. Their leadership includes survivors of the stabbing at Park-Inn incident and they are looking for answers to their unanswered questions on the treatment of asylum seekers during the pandemic.
They along with others are voices we would submit are far too often silenced or not heard, and during the days of COVID-19 appeared to be stuck in a ‘parallel existence’ thus impacting their health and mental health. We welcomed the UK Inquiry’s positive consideration of our submissions on these issues.
Aamer Anwar- Principal Solicitor for the ‘Scottish Covid Bereaved’.
